A Daughter of Anarchy
by TheMiniMarshmallow
Summary: The Sons of Anarchy are notorious for being strong and ruthless, capable of sacrificing anything for the club. But what about the daughters of SAMCRO? Or, at least, a daughter of SAMCRO, Charlotte Winston? What is she willing to give up for the club that shaped her childhood, but may no longer be the same club? And what if she finds love within a club that is falling apart?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Takes place right after Donna's death in Season One, but I probably won't follow the series exactly. I just think that this is a good place for Charlie to come in. Charlie left before Chibs and Juice became part of SAMCRO. Let me know if you think I've got a good enough story to keep going!

Chapter One

Charlotte Elizabeth Winston loved Charming. She loved growing up in Charming, where the MC was a daily part of her and her brother's life, and where her father, Piney, was a founding member of the Redwood charter. Her mother never loved the MC, though, and it was a constant fixture in every fight between her parents during her childhood, until it eventually broke the marriage apart when Charlie was seven and her brother was fifteen. Charlie loved the sound of a motorcycle roaring down the road, and she missed riding behind her brother, or her dad, or her friend Jax Teller. She hadn't been on the back of a motorcycle in almost six years. But that was her own fault, as her brother continually told her, because she was the one that, in his words, abandoned the family and SAMCRO to take a scholarship at the University of Washington at Seattle. It was her fault that she was good at basketball and got the attention of a scout. It was her fault that they offered her a free ride for an undergraduate degree, and that she did so well in her classes that they offered her scholarships for graduate school. Opie laid the guilt on her constantly, and she did feel bad for missing out on her family's life, but it was only six years. And she was doing this to better herself. A teaching degree wouldn't make her millions, but it would keep her from a minimum wage job at the local convenience store, or as a receptionist at Teller-Morrow, as if Gemma really needed help at the garage. Charlie was a twenty-five year old young woman with a Master's degree and almost no college debt, and that was something to be proud of.

Her brother had married Donna before she left for college, and Charlie hadn't returned to Charming since. Now she was back for her sister-in-law's funeral. This wasn't just a visit, though. She was moving back home after graduating with her Master's, and she had an interview at Thompson High School. Her brother was going to need help with the kids and she knew that her father wasn't getting any younger and that his emphysema was getting worse. Not to mention the fact that she missed the MC and all of its members. Sure, Kozik rode over from Tacoma once a month to check in on her, but he wasn't one the people who had shaped her childhood. She wanted to see Clay, Jax, Opie, Bobby, her dad, and now Tig all sitting around outside the clubhouse, drinking beer, smoking, and laughing at something stupid that they were putting a new prospect through. She wanted Gemma to give her one of those hugs that just made everything okay, that wiped out everything that could possibly bother her.

Charlie took a deep breath as she pulled into the lot at TM and parked beside Gemma's Cadillac. She put her truck in park and cut the engine, then opened the door and stepped out. The sweet California sunshine hit her face and a smile slowly spread across her face. How wonderful it was to be home, in the sunshine, and away from all that rain. She looked around at the familiar sight, taking in her surroundings and feeling so happy to be home.

"Can I help ye wit' sumthin, lass?" A deep Scottish brogue interrupted her reunion with the sun, the smell of oil, and the clamor of the garage. Charlie looked around to see an older man coming towards her.

"I'm just glad to be home, actually, even if it is a sad occasion. Taking in the sights." Charlie replied, turning her smile on him. "I'm Charlie."

Charlie watched as he furrowed his eyebrows, clearly trying to place her. "Are ye a friend of Donna? Opie's in the clubhouse, but the funeral isn't until tomorrow."

The man had barely finished his sentence when Charlie heard her name ring out from the garage. "Charlie!" Jax Teller came from doorway of the small office that was attached to the garage, not quite running but moving very quickly. "Get Ope! His sister's here!" He called to a Hispanic young man with a patch who stood by the door to the clubhouse. Charlie didn't know him, so he must have patched in after she had left Charming.

Recognition now dawned on the man's face as he watch Jax pick Charlie up in a bone-crushing hug, twirling her around once before setting her back down on the ground. "Damn I missed you, Charlie." He told her as he put his hands on her shoulders and stepped back to look at her. "Look at you, all grown up and college educated now."

Charlie laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "Just because I have a degree now doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass."

Jax was about to reply when Opie came out of the clubhouse and stood there, looking at his sister. Charlie took off running and slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his middle in a tight hug as he tried to steady himself with the impact. "Opie." She said, her voice cracking as she held back tears. She felt her brother's arms come around her and return the hug as he lowered his chin onto the top of her head. "I'm okay." He replied, but his voice shook. Charlie squeezed her arms harder, trying her best to make his pain go away. She hated that such a terrible and sad occasion was mixed with a happy homecoming. She wished that Donna were here so that her brother wasn't so sad.

Opie took a deep, shuddering breath before he pulled away from his little sister and looked down at her. "You changed your hair." He stated, looking down at her. Charlie let out a little laugh. She knew that her brother was going to comment on her new pixie cut, particularly because her hair used to her most defining feature, coming just above her butt. "Yep. Less to wash, and it doesn't get in my way when I'm playing." Charlie replied, running her fingers self-consciously through her short, dark auburn hair.

"Dad's gonna say you've turned lesbian." Opie said, looking over at Jax. "You think Charlie's gone lesbian on us?"

"She always wanted to be one of the guys. Maybe they'd let her patch in if she's butch." Jax chuckled good naturedly as Charlie glared at him and pushed on Opie's chest.

"I have _not_ gone lesbian. God, I've been here five minutes and you make me want a fucking cigarette." Charlie growled, stomping towards her truck. She passed the man that had greeted her when she had first arrived, and realized that she still didn't know his name. "You got a name, Scottie?" She asked as she opened the door to her truck and found her pack of Marlboro Menthols. She grabbed a cigarette, put it between her lips, and started digging around for al lighter.

"Name's Chibs." The Scot responded as she found her lighter and turned towards him. Charlie lit her cigarette and dropped the lighter into the driver's seat, slamming the door as she headed towards the clubhouse. "Nice to meet you, Chibs. Clearly, I'm Ope's sister, Charlotte, but everyone calls me Charlie." She shook his hand as she passed him on her way to the clubhouse. "Now, where's my dad? He needs to know his favorite child is back in the state."

Charlie followed Opie, Jax, and Chibs into the clubhouse, and goosebumps rose on her arms as she crossed into the familiar space, both because of the memories and because of the air conditioning that was roaring full blast, chilling her exposed shoulders in her tank top. Her cowboy boots made a dull thud every time she set her heel down on the dirty laminated floor.

"Charlotte?"

Charlie looked around at the sound of her father's voice, finding him sitting at the bar. Her throat closed up as she looked at her father, the strongest man in her life. He pulled himself to his feet, pushing the oxygen tube into his nostrils and taking a deep breath.

"Daddy." Charlie whispered as her dad enveloped her in a hard hug. The tears that had threatened to spill out when she had hugged Opie finally came pouring out, and she buried her face in her father's jean kutte as she let out a sob. "I'm sorry I didn't visit more."

Piney's laugh reverberated through Charlie, and he pulled back from her. "You were busy working and going to class. Kozik kept us up to date. Me or Clay heard from him every month." He wiped a tear from his youngest child's face, showing a kind of tenderness that he reserved solely for his children, particularly Charlie.

"You still could've visited more." Gemma's voice rang out through the din of voices in the clubhouse. She and Clay had just came in from the garage and she made her way over to Charlie for a hug. "You know, Seattle really _isn't_ so far away that you couldn't make the drive every month or so."

Charlie let out a small laugh as she hugged Gemma and then Clay. "Glad for you to be home, kid." He said quietly, chucking her under her chin, before looking up at Piney and heading towards the room where the club held chapel meetings. Charlie wasn't blind to the tension in the room, but she put it off as club problems. Right now, she needed to focus on Opie and his kids, not club drama. She'd dig into the rift later… after she helped her brother put his wife in the ground.

* * *

"You can stay at my house. I'll sleep on the couch; you can stay in mine and… in my room." Opie said, looking at his sister over the bed of her truck. She was being stubborn again, and it irritated the hell out of him.

"Opie, you and the kids are going to want to lay down in your own beds and rest tonight. Plus, mom is staying with you while she's in town. It's going to be a hard day tomorrow, and I won't put you out. I'll stay in a hotel for the next few nights until I can nail down an apartment. It won't be a big deal. I promise." Charlie responded to her brother, pleading for him to realize how hard this was going to be.

"You're not staying in a hotel. Look, I know that you don't want to stay with dad because you'll have to sleep on the couch, he only has one room, but you don't have to stay at a hotel. I can-" a voice cut Opie off mid-sentence.

"You two 'ave been out here arguing for fifteen minutes. I 'ave an extra room at my house, the bed's already made up." Chibs turned and looked at Charlie. "Ye'll stay wit' me until ye can find a place." Charlie opened her mouth to begin an argument, but Chibs continued with, "That's the end of this conversation. Now, Opie, ye go home and spend time with the kids. Charlotte, ye can follow me to my house and stay there this evening."

Charlie watched as Chibs walked over to his bike and started putting on his gloves and his helmet. She turned to Opie, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a half smile. "Well hell, who knew the Scot could make our lives easier? I like him already."

"Just get in the damn truck before he leaves without you." Opie smiled at his sister. "I'll see you tomorrow." He started to walk towards his bike but turned at the last minute and said, "I'm glad you're home, sis. For good."

Charlie smiled at him and shooed him away. She climbed into her truck and started the engine, backing out as Chibs' motorcycle passed behind the tailgate. As she pulled out of the lot of TM and started to follow Chibs, she lit herself a cigarette and rolled down the window, letting the late afternoon breeze drift through the cab. She was glad to be home too.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

This will be a romance story, but I haven't figured out the pairings yet. So… assume _nothing_. Mwuahahahaha!

Also, you guys know I get alerts when the story is followed/favorited, right? So that means I know there are lurkers reading, but not reviewing, and that makes me very sad… *does Juice puppy dog eyes* So, please review.

Chapter Two

"Do ye need help carryin' anythin'?" Chibs asked as he got off his bike and came around to where Charlie was standing at the tailgate of her truck. When she had packed up her apartment, Charlie had donated a lot of the furniture to Goodwill because there was no use in trying to rent a U-Haul big enough to cart it all back down to Charming. Instead, she had focused on packing all of her clothes, books, and pictures, and they were all piled in the bed of her truck now.

"No, I'm good. I just have this little duffel bag right here." Charlie said, patting the bag that was closest to the tailgate. "I packed the truck with necessities in mind. It would be silly for me to have to dig through all of my clothing just to find something to wear to the funeral."

"Alright. Follow me, then." Chibs said, giving her a small smile and heading up the driveway to the front door.

It was a small house, but from the outside, it looked very nice. The lawn was nicely manicured. There was a covered carport where he parked his bike, and an older model Camaro was parked to the side of the carport in a paved portion of the driveway. Charlie had parked her truck lower in the driveway, but she left enough room for him to get his bike out if he needed to leave for some reason. Chibs unlocked the front door and turned on a light, moving into the living room so that Charlie could come further into the house. The inside was clean and neatly organized, but it was clear that a man lived here. Sons of Anarchy memorabilia lined the walls and there was a Scottish flag hanging on the wall above the fireplace. The furniture wasn't brand new, but it wasn't old and ragged either. Charlie took a deep breath and smiled as the mixture of cigarette smoke, cologne, and musk filled her head. This is what a man smelled like. Charlie had dated during her time in Seattle, but the men of academia never fully satisfied her need for a man. And the man who had… well, she didn't want to think about that horrendous mistake in her judgement. Charlie realized that she was simply staring around the room, and that Chibs was looking slightly self-conscious and uncomfortable.

"It's great!" Charlie said, smiling at him. "Really. Much better than a hotel. Thank you so much."

Chibs nodded his head and headed down the hallway. "The guest room is the first one on the left, and mine is right next door. The bathroom is down at the end of the hall on the right. If ye want to put yer bag in the bedroom, we can go see what's in the kitchen for dinner." Chibs gave her the grand tour, ending outside of the guest bedroom. Charlie stepped inside the room and set her duffel bag on the bed. She unzipped the top, took her Makarov pistol out of her bag, and tucked into the waistband of her jeans behind her back. She turned around to see Chibs looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well Donna was gunned down as Niner retaliation, right? I may have been gone for six years, but I haven't forgotten what it's like to live the club life." Charlie said to him as she walked past him towards the kitchen.

Chibs rifled through the freezer and the refrigerator, but couldn't find anything that he wanted for dinner, so Charlie pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number to Murphy's pizza.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" She asked as the phone rang.

"Ye still remember the number to Murphy's?" Chibs asked, then added, "Anythin' with meat on it."

Charlie laughed. "Murphy's hasn't changed their phone number since I was a kid. It's one thing you can rely on."

Charlie ordered them a pizza and then pulled some cash out of her pocket for when the delivery guy showed up. Chibs grunted and said, "Yer my guest. Ye'll not pay for dinner."

"Yes, I will. Because you're offering your home to me, and I'm going to drink whatever liquor you have in the house. Preferably whiskey." Charlie replied as she started to pick at her nails, looking up at him briefly to give him a smirk. Chibs let out a short bark of laughter and nodded.

"I can handle that." He said as he walked to a cabinet beside the fridge and pulled out a half-full bottle of Jack Daniels. Charlie eyed the bottle, and Chibs let out another laugh. "Don't worry, I've got another bottle that hasn't been opened."

* * *

Charlie and Chibs had finished the first bottle of Jack and half of the pizza before Charlie realized that she and Chibs were acting like old friends who had just reconnected after a long time apart. He was so easy to talk to, and he listened so well, but he also had no problem opening up and telling stories about what had happened while she was gone. She told him about her time in Seattle, about classes and waitressing at the restaurant a few blocks from her apartment until she turned twenty-one, and then she'd started bartending. He told her about Tig transferring from Tacoma, about Juice prospecting and eventually patching in, and about the new prospect, Half-Sack, and how much fun they had torturing him. He also told her about Jax, his ex-wife, and Abel, and about how Tara had come home, and about Bobby being arrested for murder. There was so much that Charlie had missed, like her brother spending the majority of her college years in jail, and Charlie started to resent missing all of the developments in Charming.

Chibs, seeming to pick up on her rapidly declining mood, finished his glass of Jack and started to pick things up. "We'd better get to bed. It's going ta be a long day tomorrow, an' we don' need ta be hungover." He said, closing the lid on the pizza box and taking it to the fridge.

Charlie nodded, but filled her glass with Jack one more time so that she could take it to bed with her. She helped Chibs clean up and turn out the lights, then they headed down the hallway.

"If ye need anythin' just yell or bang on the door." Chibs told her as she headed into the guest room. Before she shut the door, he added, "And don' shoot anythin' unless yer sure it's not me. Goodnight."

Charlie laughed and responded with a "good night" as well. She closed the door and placed her glass and the Makarov on the bedside table. She had pulled her tank top over her head when she heard the door open.

"Ye left yer cell phone in the living room. I heard it – Jesus Christ!" Chibs' calm voice had turned rough when he finally looked up and saw her. Charlie quickly pulled the tank top back on, but she knew that Chibs had seen the scars on her back. "Charlotte…"

"Thanks for my phone, Chibs." Charlie said, grabbing the phone from his hand. "Goodnight." She pushed him out of the room and shut the door in his face. She leaned her forehead against the wooden door, cursing Chibs' timing. She didn't know whether he would tell her brother or not, but she'd been in Charming less than 24 hours and already someone knew about her back. This wasn't a good sign.

* * *

When Charlie emerged from the guest room, showered and dressed for the funeral, she found Chibs in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "There's more coffee on the counter, and cereal in the cabinet above the stove. Bowls in the cabinet to the right." He said, not looking up from the newspaper. Charlie nodded and made herself a bowl of cereal and sat down across from him at the kitchen table. He didn't look up the entire time she ate, and she didn't know how to take that. Did that mean that he wasn't going to tell Opie, or did that mean that he already had?

"Listen, about last night-" Charlie began, but Chibs cut her off.

"I didn't see anythin'." Chibs said pointedly, looking at her around the newspaper. "Now, finish your cereal and let's get going. The procession starts at ten."

* * *

Charlie made it through the funeral without too many tears, but every time she looked at her niece and nephew, her heart broke a little more and she wanted retribution for their pain and suffering. Children deserved to grow up with a mother and a father. Charlie admitted that, even though she resented her own mother for trying to pry her away from the club and her father when she was young. All Charlie ever wanted when she was little was to wear the patch like her dad, to be a member of the club, to devote her life to the club. But her mother constantly stomped on those dreams, reminding her that it was the _Sons_ of Anarchy, and that she didn't have a place in the club unless she wanted to be a shadow for a real member. Charlie would never forgive her mother for not even allowing her daughter to dream about being a member.

After the funeral, Opie and her mom took the kids to his house and the rest of the club and Charlie headed back to the clubhouse. Charlie was now three glasses deep in Jack Daniels, and she didn't really see a reason to stop. The clubhouse was subdued because no one really felt like partying, but there were a few crow eaters hanging around, willing to offer comfort to those who needed it.

"Hey, we haven't really met. I'm Juice." Juice sat down beside her, smiling as he took a sip from his beer bottle. "I just wanted to say welcome back. Everyone's been talking about Charlie coming home, and I'm glad you're here."

Charlie smiled back at him. "Thank you, Juice. Welcome to the family, although it's belated."

Juice's grin widened, if that was possible. "I love it here. This club is the best family I've ever had."

Charlie nodded, looking down into her whiskey and twirling the glass. "They are great. Just be careful that the reaper doesn't cloud every choice you make, okay?" Charlie drained her glass and stood up.

"Why? What do you mean?" Juice's eyebrows connected together as he scrunched up his face.

Charlie patted him on the shoulder. "You never know how much that fucking reaper means to you until he rejects you, sweetie."

Charlie walked away, letting Juice contemplate what she said. She stumbled a little as she headed toward the door, and she knew that she shouldn't drive, so she decided to get a little air before she returned to call for a cab. Charlie walked outside and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drawl as she walked towards the motorcycles that were lined up outside the garage. She walked slowly down the line, smoking her cigarette and taking in the motorcycles that belong to members of the club, both SAMCRO and others who had come down for Donna's funeral to show support for the club.

"Can I help you?" A deep gravely voice asked from behind her.

Charlie jumped, twirling around to see a figure coming towards her from the garage.

"I was just looking at the bikes. I'm just getting used to being back here." She responded, realizing that he wore a Sons of Anarchy kutte, but that he was from the Tacoma charter. She studied his face, and then it hit her. "You're Happy, from Tacoma, right? I saw you a couple times with Kozik."

Happy stared at her, his dark eyes roaming from the top of her pixie haircut, down the front of her black blouse, pausing at her modest cleavage, then continuing down her jean clad legs and settling on her cowboy boots, then looking back up into her green eyes. "You're Charlie Winston."

"Yeah. Jesus Christ, you almost scared me to death." Charlie said, placing her hand over her heart and taking a deep drag off her cigarette. Then she chuckled. "Although, I guess for you, that would be an achievement of epic proportions. Not even needing tools anymore."

Happy just looked at her, those dark eyes staring straight through her. Charlie nodded, turning away and starting back towards the clubhouse, but she stopped. Turning back to him, she asked, "So you know anything about what's bothering Jax? At the funeral today… That was something."

Happy didn't respond, but just continued to look at her. "Right." Charlie said. "Club business." She continued back to the clubhouse, not really concerned with the fact that she didn't get an answer about the tension within the charter. She would figure it out – she just had to find the person with the most information and a soft spot for her.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Okay, there is a point in this chapter where I quote a scene an episode word for word, and I apologize in advance because I hate it when people do that. However, I think it's a good exchange between the characters.

Chapter Three

It was the day after Donna's funeral, and Charlie was heading up to the cabin where her father was, more than likely, drinking himself into a stupor and shooting at trees. That was what he usually did when something was on his mind, and it was clear to her that there was something going on in the Charming charter of the Sons of Anarchy. She parked in front of the cabin and got out of her truck, lighting a cigarette as she went. Before she could reach the front door, though, it opened and her father looked out at her.

"I don't think that school teachers are supposed to smoke." He said, his voice gravely as he stepped aside to let her into the cabin.

"I'm not hired yet." Charlie responded, smiling back at him and she lowered herself into one of the old armchairs in the living room. "Dad, what's going on?"

Piney looked at his daughter, and for the first time in his life, he was glad that she wasn't a member of his motorcycle club. He knew that all her life, she had wanted nothing more than to wear the reaper on her back, but now that things were starting to fall apart, he was glad that she wasn't bound to it.

"Nothing." He growled as he poured himself a glass of bourbon.

Charlie scoffed and looked at him as he sat down across from her, taking a deep gulp from his glass.

"That wasn't 'nothing' at the funeral. And it wasn't 'nothing' that Clay jumped back from hugging me so goddamned fast after he saw you glaring at him. Something is wrong here, dad, and I want to know what it is." Charlie demanded, violently rubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray beside her chair.

Piney glared at her, and said, "You aren't a member, Charlotte. It's none of your goddamn business."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Piermont Winston. Something is going on, and if it's not solved, it'll tear this charter apart. If Jax, Clay, and you are all at odds with one another, then we are in a shit ton of trouble. Two of the first nine and the fucking heir to the Sons throne? You look me in the eyes and tell me that this isn't a problem, and I'll be on my way."

Charlie finished her monologue, looking at her father and realizing how defeated and weary he looked.

"Fine." He said quietly. "You want to know, I'll tell you. But you can't act on anything. This is club business."

Charlie nodded, and settled in to listen to what her father had to tell her.

* * *

Charlie gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white and her fingers ached, but she knew that this was the only way to keep herself from losing it. Piney had told her everything, and boy did a lot happen while she was gone. That ATF bitch deserved to die for her part in Donna's death, although Charlie's first inclination was to take a knife and stab Tig right in the throat, but she realized that he was simply a pit bull taking orders from his owner. Clay Morrow was to blame for her sister-in-law's death. He was to blame for her brother's pain. He was to blame for her niece and nephew growing up without a mother.

But this was club business, and she wasn't a member, so she had no right to intervene. In fact, this reason contributed to her anger because she didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to club matters, and she technically shouldn't be privy to this information anyways. Charlie took a deep breath and released the steering wheel for a moment, stretching her fingers and allowing the blood to start flowing again. She didn't know where to go, or who to talk to. She couldn't talk to her brother; she knew that much at least. And that's when it dawned on her. She _could_ talk to the next best thing: her surrogate brother, Jax Teller.

Charlie accelerated faster and set a course for Jax's new house. She had heard the guys talking about it, and Charlie knew where it was. She was within a few miles of the house when she heard sirens behind her, and she looked down at her speedometer to see that she was going almost twenty miles over the speed limit.

"Goddammit." She growled as she pulled over to the side of the road, rolled down her window, and started to dig around in her glove compartment for her registration.

"License and registration, please." A familiar voice said from the window. Charlie turned around quickly, and gasped.

"Holy shit, David!" She said, fighting back a laugh. "Look at you!"

David Hale looked up and his mouth dropped open. "Charlie? What the hell are you doing here?"

"David!" She said, opening the door and jumping out from the truck, grabbing him in a hug before he could react. "Oh my god. You're a fucking cop!"

She laughed as she pulled back, seeing the stunned look on his face. "Well my sister-in-law just died. Did you think I wouldn't come home for that?"

Charlie noticed that his face fell a little, and that he looked away from her, but she overlooked it. She noticed his badge and said, "Wow. David Hale, Deputy Chief of Charming Police Department. Shit, I guess I shouldn't be hugging you, huh? You're supposed to tough on crime and I'm close to the MC."

David snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, well, Unser's best buddies with Morrow, so I guess I can hug an old friend that I've just seen for the first time in six years. How've you been?"

"Good, really good, actually. You know, I got my Bachelor's and Master's while I was in Seattle, and I've got an interview at Thompson on Wednesday." Charlie ducked her head, then looked up at him. "I'm moving back home."

David swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "That's great, Charlie. Really. I'm sure that Opie and Piney are glad that you're home."

"Yeah, they are." Charlie hugged him again, then climbed back into the truck. "Wow, David, it was really good to see you. We should get dinner sometime and catch up. I have to get over to Jax's now, though. I have to go see that beautiful boy of his."

It wasn't until the truck was almost out of sight that David remembered that he had pulled her over to give her a ticket.

* * *

Charlie was holding Abel, rocking him slowly as his eyes drifted shut. She looked over at Jax and found it hard to believe that he was a father. This boy that she grew up with, that she looked up to, was responsible for a tiny little life. It was hard to believe.

"You can't act on this, Charlie." Jax said, staring her down. "Piney shouldn't have told you any of this."

Charlie laughed softly. "Jax, I would do anything for the club, and you know that." Jax had no idea what she had already done for the club. "But I can't stand by and let Clay and Tig destroy what this club is about. Ordering the murder of a member behind the rest of the clubs back, and having a brother do it, and then botching it so badly that a members' _wife_ dies? That is not okay, Jackson, and you know it. The power has gone to his head."

Jax stood up and started to pace the living room. "Don't you think I know that, Charlie? Don't you think I want to tell the rest of the club? Opie can't handle this, though. I mean, you know how badly this shook him up. He blames himself for Donna's death because he thinks it was Niner retaliation." Jax was almost talking to himself now. "But he can't know that it was Tig and Clay. He'll kill them both, and then he'll have to answer to the club for that. We could lose three members in a matter of minutes."

Charlie understood the predicament that Jax was in. He was trying to save the club at all costs, and Charlie agreed with that, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were saving Tig and Clay too.

"My brother is hurting, Jax." Charlie said as she stood up carefully, cradling Abel in her arms. She walked over and transferred the sleeping baby into his arms, then looked him in the eyes. "Someone is going to pay for that." Charlie turned and picked up her purse, then headed towards the front door.

"You're not a club member, Charlie. You can't do anything." Jax said harshly from behind her.

Charlie clenched her teeth and looked back at him. "No, I'm not a club member. And I may just be the wimpy college educated daughter of a member to you guys, but I'm Piney fucking Winston's daughter, and he treated me like a son for most of my life. Don't underestimate me."

* * *

Charlie sat on top of a picnic table outside of the clubhouse with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in another, waiting on Bobby to be dropped off by the feds. She couldn't wait to see the old man, and she hated that he was being put through all of this bullshit. But that's a part of the club life. Charlie hadn't seen Jax since she had visited him earlier that day, and she was kind of glad that he wasn't there to glare at her. She'd been pushed aside when it came to club matters all her life, but now it affected her family directly, and she wasn't going to let this slide. Charlie took a deep drag off her cigarette and stared at Clay and Tig where they stood a few feet away. She wanted so badly to hurt them, to make them pay for what they had done to her family.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Juice interrupted her thoughts and Charlie jerked her face over to look at him.

Charlie was about to answer when a silver car pulled up in front of the clubhouse. "Who is that? That's way too nice a car for a fed." Charlie slid off the picnic table and headed towards the car, as did most of the club members and a few of the party guests. Charlie watched as four white men got out of the car. The one driving was a skinhead with a lot of tattoos while the man from the back drivers side was impeccably dressed. The other two men who exited the car looked a lot like the driver, but with more obvious Aryan ink. As the driver walked past Charlie, he nodded his head and said, "Ma'am" before turning his menacing glare on the club members.

"Garage is closed." Clay said as he and Tig stepped towards the men.

"We're not here for, uh, car repairs." The nicely dressed man replied. "I understand you're a Camacho fan." The man offered a box of cigars to Clay, but he didn't take them.

"Who are you?" Clay asked as his fellow members gathered around them. Charlie took a few steps forwards so that she could hear the exchange over the music.

"Just dropping by to give you a little friendly advice." The driver said, handing a business card to Clay.

"And what advice would that be?" Clay asked, looking down at the card.

"We feel it would be best for all concerned if you stop dealing arms to the Mayans and the One Niners." The nicely dressed man told Clay, and there was laughter from the other members.

Clay smiled and replied, "I don't even know what you're talking about. We're just mechanics and Harley lovers."

Tig leaned over to Clay, and Charlie stepped closer to hear Tig say, "That's one of Darby's guys back there." Tig was pointing with his eyes to one of the other men that had exited the car.

"Mr. Darby is one of our supporters." The nicely dressed man acknowledged.

Clay nodded, then started to walk around the men. "Expensive car. Hell of a suit. All of your teeth. You must be the top of the Aryan food chain."

"What you do for a living is between you and your maker." The man responded. "I'm not here to adjust your moral compass. This is just a reality check. You're a criminal and you're done selling guns to color."

Charlie saw Tig reach around his back, pulling his handgun from the back of his waistband with his right hand and pulling back the slide with his left, ensuring that a round was in the chamber. Charlie tensed up immediately and felt around to the back of her waistband to make sure her Makarov was in place.

"Are you gonna shoot me, Mr. Trager?" The man asked, putting a hand out to stop the driver from stepping forward. "With all these witnesses?"

Gemma came up behind Charlie and placed a hand on her shoulder as Clay chuckled and said, "Look, uh, I don't know what Darby told you, and I don't know what your angle is, but let me be real clear. Nobody threatens SAMCRO. And nobody tells us what we can and can't do. Black, brown, or white. So, why don't you just climb back into your little German clown car and drive back to Nazi town, hm? Cause the next time you piss all over my shoes, I will let him shoot you, no matter how many witnesses."

The man sighed. "My shop opens in a few weeks. Until then… Enjoy." He laid the box of cigars at Clays' feet and then motioned for the men to get into the car. As they passed Charlie and Gemma, the driver gave them both a onceover that put a lump in Charlie's throat. She didn't like him at all, and she wished that Tig had put a bullet in them both right there in the parking lot.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

A/N at the end.

Chapter Four

"Well, Miss Winston, there's only one more thing that I need to discuss with you before we get started on the paperwork." Principal Warren smiled over at Charlie, who was nervously tapping her high-heeled foot. "Your association with the Sons of Anarchy… I need to make sure that nothing will flow over into my school."

Charlie clenched her teeth momentarily before plastering a smile on her face and looking up at the principal. "Mrs. Warren, my brother and father are members of the motorcycle enthusiast club, not me. There would be no reason for trouble to follow me to work."

Principal Warren looked down at her desk and hands, clearly weighting her need for a new Social Studies teacher against her clear dislike for the club. She nodded shortly and then said, "Okay then. Well, we should get started on the paperwork. As you know, to work in the school system, you must be drug tested and fingerprinted, and have a background check. Charming Police Department handles that for the schools in this area, so you'll need to set up an appointment with them. I technically cannot give you the position until the start of term in August, that's when the teacher will retire, so I apologize for the wait."

Charlie kept her smile plastered on her face and resisted the urge to slap the woman. _Great, so that means I have to find some way to make money for the next two months_, Charlie grumbled in her head. Maybe she would be begging Gemma for a position at TM.

The paperwork didn't take too long, and Charlie was an official member of the Thompson High School faculty, pending her drug test and background check, which she knew would come back clean. Throughout the years, Charlie had made sure to not be arrested, even though she cut the wire close a few times in the past couple of years. As she made her way out to her truck, Charlie noticed that an older model green and white suburban was sitting across from the school. As she drove past it, the man inside made eye contact with her. It was AJ Weston, the driver from the night before. Before she had left, and after Bobby had made it home, Juice had started to give out the information on their visitors. He made no attempt to hide, and pulled out behind her as she passed him by. He followed her halfway to TM before he turned off onto another street, but it made Charlie uneasy. She continued down the road and pulled into the lot at TM. She parked the truck and got out, slinging her purse across her shoulder and heading towards the office beside the garage, aiming to speak with Gemma about her lack of income for two months.

Someone wolf whistled and Charlie turned to glare in Jax's direction. "Look at you! Dressed all professional, and nothing like the degenerate you really are." Jax said as he put an arm around her shoulder, messing up her hair with his hand in the process. He had grease all over him from fixing cars, and she pulled away.

"This is my one good pantsuit. Try not to ruin it with your greasy ways." Charlie replied, sticking her nose up in the air before dissolving into giggles. "I had forgotten that heels sucked, honestly." She pulled them off as she reached the doorway of the office, waving at Gemma who was sitting at the desk with paperwork piled all around her.

"You got a minute, Gemma?" She asked, shooing Jax away as Gemma nodded her in. "Of course, baby girl. What's up?"

Charlie sat down on the couch with a huff, and told Gemma about her predicament. "I mean, I've got some money saved up, but I was going to try and use that on a deposit for an apartment or a house to rent. It's already almost the end of May, so it would only be for two months or so, but I don't want to put Chibs out for that long. He's been so great these past few days."

"Why don't you just stay with Chibs, you know, rent out the room?" Gemma asked, looking over at Charlie. "He enjoys your company, I know it. Plus, you wouldn't have to pay a deposit or anything, and he probably wouldn't gouge you on rent. He'd just need enough to help cover expenses, maybe chip at his monthly payment a little."

Charlie considered this for a moment, realizing that it was a plausible plan. "I don't know. I don't want to intrude on someone who's used to being alone, and really needs that time to decompress… Then again, he is a great roommate. At least, for the three days I've been there." Charlie laughed, thinking of them sitting on the couch, drinking and watching television like old buddies.

"See, it's not a big deal. Why don't you bring it up to him tonight, see what he says?" Gemma nodded and smiled, glad that she could help. "Now, as for work the next few months… We really don't have enough business at TM to warrant hiring another person. I'm sorry, sweetie. But, I heard Clay talking to T.O. on the phone the other day about him losing one of the bartenders at a bar that they own. He could use someone with experience bartending, and he could use someone trustworthy. You should talk to Clay."

Charlie balled her hands into fists and looked down at her feet, willing herself not to overact. She didn't want to speak with Clay; she'd prefer to watch him smother to death under the weight of his lies. Gemma noticed Charlie tense up, and she asked, "Is everything okay?"

Charlie nodded and slid her heels on. "Yeah, of course." She said tensely. "Thanks Gemma, I appreciate the help." She threw her a smile as she exited the office and made her way over to the clubhouse. When she walked in, she saw that there were a few crow eaters hanging around, and that Half-Sack was busy trying to restock the bar. Juice was at a table with his laptop out, and he didn't even notice her come in. Charlie saw Clay sitting in the chapel smoking a cigar, with paperwork laid out on the table before him. She took a deep, calming breath and headed into the room.

Clay looked up and smiled at her. "Hey, sweetheart. How'd the job interview go?" He took off his glasses and laid them on the table, simultaneously motioning for her to take a seat beside him. As she walked up to the chair, she touched the back and asked, "Sergeant at Arms? Tig?"

Clay nodded and replied, "Yep. I don't think he'd mind."

Charlie sat down and dug in her purse for her cigarettes. She pulled one out of the box, lit it with the lighter than Clay had left on the table, and stared down at the box, avoiding his gaze. "I got the job, but it doesn't start until August. I need a job for the next two months… Gemma said something about the Grim Bastards needing a bartender?"

Clay watched her stare at her cigarettes, and realized that she was clearly avoiding looking at him. He shifted in his chair and bit lightly on his cigar. "Yeah, T.O. mentioned it. It'd be in Lodi, though, and that's a drive. Don't know what he'd pay you."

Charlie took a deep drag off her cigarette and grinned. "He'd pay me what you'd expect for my level of expertise in bartending and MC secret keeping." She flicked her eyes up at Clay to see him smiling at her. She hated that he had changed while she was gone. She had loved Clay like a father when she was little.

He leaned forward and wrote something on a piece of paper, sliding it in front of her. "That's the address. I'll give him a call, tell him who you are and let him know that you're dropping by. I doubt he'd say no to you, princess."

Charlie started at his use of her old nickname. He and Bobby had called her that when she was a kid, and it made her throat clench up at the thought of how much things had changed. Charlie cleared her throat, grabbed the paper, and stood up, swinging her purse over her shoulder and knocking some ashes from her cigarette into his ashtray. "Right, well, thanks for this. I have to call the police department and get everything set up for the last bit of paperwork for the school, and then I have to land myself a job."

Charlie left the room and dialed the Charming Police Department. She was glad that she had left the number in her phone after calling so many times over the years to check on members, club and family, that had been arrested.

"Charming Police Department, this is Officer Pamela Rhodes. How may I help you?" Office Rhodes asked as she answered the phone.

"Hi, my name is Charlotte Winston. I've been hired at Thompson High School, and I need to come in for the drug test and fingerprinting." Charlie said as she walked to her truck.

Charlie heard paper rustling on the other end of the phone and then the officer said, "Alright, Miss Winston, the school faxed over your information just a few minutes ago. Can you come in on Monday?"

"Absolutely." Charlie said as she dropped her cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "Thank you so much."

The officer wished her a good day and hung up, and Charlie climbed into her truck. She put the piece of paper with the bar's address on it in the ashtray and started the truck. First, she was going to Chibs' house to change clothes, and then she was going to get another job. What a productive day it was turning out to be.

* * *

As Charlie pulled into the gravel parking lot of the bar in Lodi, she couldn't help but admire the tricked out and flashy Harley's that were parked in front. Sure, they weren't in the style that she was used to, but they were still beautiful. She slid down out of the truck and closed the door behind her, then headed towards the front door. Charlie took a deep breath and made sure that her tank top was situated just right, showing enough cleavage to not be considered too trashy, and then she opened the door. The bar was pretty full for it to be early afternoon on a Tuesday, and there was not another white person in the room. Charlie swallowed hard as the majority of the people looked up at her confused, and she waited for the music to come to a screeching halt like it usually does at this point in the movies.

Charlie straightened her shoulders and headed towards the bar where a young man was cleaning glasses. "I'm looking for T.O." Charlie said, fully aware that everyone was still staring at her.

The man grinned and looked her up and down. "Really? Hm, I don't think that I know a T.O…. In fact, I think that you might be a little lost."

"She isn't." A deep voice said from behind Charlie. She turned around slowly, but made sure not to turn her back completely to the man at the bar. "This is Charlie Winston, our new bartender." The man behind the bar snorted loudly, and the other man, who Charlie assumed was T.O., glared at him. "She's a friend of SAMCRO. A daughter of one of the members, actually, which means that she will be treated with the same respect you'd give one of _my_ daughters, we clear, Dantarieus?"

Dantarieus nodded quickly, going back to cleaning the glasses. T.O. reached out his hand and Charlie took it, shaking it. "Sorry about that, Charlie. I'm T.O."

Charlie smiled at him, liking him instantly. She knew that SAMCRO had a good relationship with the Bastards, and T.O. clearly took Clay's word on things. T.O. motioned her to follow him outside and he held the door open for her as she stepped through the threshold. T.O. lit a cigarette as he turned to her and said, "I'm glad that Clay called. I need someone that I can trust here. The previous employee… well, he wasn't truthful."

"He was a thief, you mean. And I assume that he left the state to go visit a suddenly ill family member, right?" Charlie let out a laugh, shaking her head.

T.O. smiled at her. "Exactly. Now, I paid the previous employee nine dollars an hour, plus whatever tips he made. Given your experience, I'm willing to offer you eleven, plus your tips." He looked her up and down. "And I wouldn't underestimate the amount of your tips. It might take the regulars a while to… adjust, but it should be fine. I'd need you from six in the evening until about two in the morning, Thursday through Monday. Dantarieus has to be home most nights for his kid."

Charlie nodded. "I can handle that. My biggest concern is the adjustment period. Your establishment clearly doesn't favor diversity."

T.O. let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, right. Well, now that I've got a white girl on my payroll, I can sleep good at night knowing that I've met my white person quota. And as long as you're a good bartender, the guys will get over your pasty white skin pretty quickly. I mean, they're here for liquor and they're going to be happy that the new bartender has boobs."

Charlie laughed and nodded her head. "Alright, why not." She put out her hand and T.O. shook it. "I'll be here tomorrow night, boss."

"See you then, employee." He replied. T.O. watched her get in her truck and leave, giving her a short wave as she pulled out of the parking lot. He furrowed his brow when he realized that an older model green and white suburban followed behind her a few minutes later, with a white man with a shaved head driving. The two men made eye contact and T.O. watched as the man pointedly looked at him and then spit out his window. T.O. shook his head and went back inside the bar, shrugging it off.

* * *

A/N: So, clearly Gemma did not suffer the same fate in this story as she did in the show... yet? As of right now, though, she has not. I just wanted to let you guys know that.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Five

Charlie stopped by Opie's house and visited with him and the kids for a while. Her mother was still staying with them for a few days, but Charlie wasn't sure whether Mary was helping or not. It broke her heart to see those kids so sad and unresponsive at an age when kids shouldn't have a care in the world. Opie wasn't ecstatic about her working at the Bastards' bar with the neo-Nazi's in town, but she convinced him that she would be fine.

Charlie pulled into Chibs' driveway that evening, noticing that two bikes were in the carport instead of just one. She grabbed her purse and exited the truck, walking to the front door and opening it. As she stepped inside, she was greeted with laughter and the smell of cigarette smoke. Chibs and Juice sat at the dining room table, drinking beer and eating lasagna.

"Well, well, look at you." Charlie said, dropping her purse on the couch and walking over to them. "Did you put that Stouffer's in the oven all by yourself?"

Chibs swatted at Juice as they both laughed, and he smiled up at Charlie. "Aye, lass, I did. But for that comment, ye can have cereal for dinner instead."

Charlie stuck her tongue out at him and walked to the fridge, getting herself a beer and popping the top. "You wouldn't make the girl who landed not one, but two, jobs today eat cereal for dinner, would you?" She took a sip as they both looked over at her curiously.

"Two? I thought you were just interviewing for the teaching job today." Juice said.

Charlie walked over and took a seat beside Chibs. "Yeah, and I got that. But it doesn't start until August, so I need to make some money in the mean time. Clay said that the Bastards were looking for a new bartender at one of their places in Lodi, and I went and talked to T.O. today. I start tomorrow night."

"Congrats!" Juice yelped, smiling at her and patting her on the back. Chibs didn't look as happy for her though.

"I don' know if that's a good idea. We don' know what these League guys are up to, and working with the Bastards might not be a good plan." Chibs said with a look of concern.

Charlie sighed and started pulling off her cowboy boots. "You and Opie have the same opinion, but I think it'll be fine. They're not going to come after me; I'm not a member. Plus, I need to start paying rent to my roomie." Charlie looked up at him. "That is, if you'll have me as a roommate."

Chibs' face went from concerned to surprised. "What? Ye want to rent a room from me?"

Charlie laughed and took a sip of her beer. "Well yeah, but if you don't want me to I can start looking for someplace else. I just figured that it'd be safer to be with a club member, you know, watch each others backs. And you wouldn't make me pay a deposit and shit."

"Oh, but I thought the League wouldn't come after ye because ye aren't a member." He said snidely, grinning when she punched him in the arm. "Aye, it's fine with me. I guess we'd better start moving your shit into the house though. If it rains, all of it'll be ruined in the back of your truck."

"We can do that tomorrow." Charlie said as she picked up Chibs' fork and stabbed a piece of lasagna on his plate. She ate it and smiled at him. "It's good." She said with her mouth full.

Chibs shook his head and moved the plate away from her. "Ye know that there's more on the stove. Quit eating mine."

* * *

Juice ended up sleeping on the couch that night so that he could help Charlie and Chibs move her things into the house. Most of it fit in her room easily enough, and the one piece of furniture, a bookcase, fit in the living room. Charlie enjoyed hanging out with the two men and enjoying the easy camaraderie between them. She hadn't grown up knowing these two, but after spending a few hours with them, she felt like she had known them all her life. There was a special bond that formed between sponsors and prospects, and the bond was clear between Chibs and Juice after spending only a little bit of time with them. The boys headed off to TM after helping her unload everything, and Charlie spent the rest of the day putting her clothes into the dressers that were in the bedroom and organizing her books on the bookcase in the living room. She left the house a little after five that evening, and as she pulled into the parking lot of Muller's, she noticed that the parking lot was fairly full. Charlie slid down out of the truck, locked the doors, and clipped her keys to one of her belt loops. She felt around to her back and made sure her Makarov was covered by her black t-shirt, then headed inside.

Dantarieus was behind the bar pouring a patron a drink when he looked up and saw her. She gave him a little smile and he motioned her over.

"T says that you have experience as a bartender, so I'm not going to waste my time explaining a lot of shit. The stockroom is behind the door to the left," he said, pointing to a door beside the bar. "Should you need anything, you can get it from there. Shotgun is under the counter, and don't be afraid to use it. It can get rowdy in here and if they break anything, you either have to get the money out of them before they leave or you pay for it. A member from the Bastards will come in around closing time to make sure that everything is locked up and the money gets in the safe. If there's a problem that you just can't solve, T's phone number is on the wall by the phone."

It was clear that Dantarieus wasn't going to give her much more information, because as he finished the last sentence, he picked up his keys and headed for the door. Charlie sighed and cracked her knuckles. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Charlie's first night as a bartender at Muller's wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. The regulars took a while to open up to her and trust her, but after a few hours, they were treating her like she'd been working there for years. T.O. was right – they were happy that the body pouring their alcohol had breasts, and they didn't really care what color her skin was. Charlie was almost finished sweeping when she heard a motorcycle pull up outside. There was only one customer left at the bar, an older black man, and he was almost finished with his drink. A tall black man wearing a Grim Bastards kutte walked in through the front door, nodding at her as they made contact. He took a seat at one of the tables.

"Anything else I can get you, sweetheart?" Charlie asked as she came back around the bar and looked at the customer.

The man shook his head and said, "No, I think I'm done." He laid a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. "That should settle the tab; you keep the rest."

Charlie smiled at him. "Thank you. You have a good night and come back to see us."

The man stood up and left, and the Bastard walked over towards her. "I'm Menace." He said, and Charlie put out her hand to shake his.

"Charlie." She replied, opening the cash register and putting the twenty in, then taking three ones out and pocketing them for the tip. She turned back around and saw Menace looking at her. "It was a three dollar tip – I have no desire to visit suddenly ill family."

Menace chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I wasn't concerned about that. Old Parker's just a shitty tipper."

Charlie shrugged her shoulders and patted her right front pocket. "I think that the rest of the customers made up for his stinginess." She opened the register again and starting pulling out the bills. "Do you take this to the safe or do I?"

"I do." He said. "Leave a hundred in there for Dantarieus so he can make change in the morning."

Charlie had already done that. She turned around and handed him the wad of bills. "This ain't my first rodeo, mister." She said, adding in a fake southern drawl. She looked at him seriously for a minute, and then laughed.

He let out a small laugh and took the money from her, then disappeared into the back room. Charlie finished cleaning the counter and looked around the room to see if she had missed anything. It all looked fairly good when Menace came out of the back room and locked the door behind him.

"You ready?" He asked as he walked past her to the door.

"Yep." Charlie said, grabbing her cigarettes and keys from under the counter where she had put them at the beginning of her shift. She started turning off lights as she made her way to the door, and Menace opened it and let her out first. She stood beside him as he locked the door and they both turned to see a man leaning against Charlie's truck.

"Friend of yours?" Menace asked quietly as he reached his hand into the front of his kutte.

"Can't tell." Charlie replied as she moved her keys and cigarettes into her left hand and pulled her right hand around to rest on her Makarov. Charlie took a few steps forward to try and see who it was, and she recognized the man as AJ Weston. "Not a friend. Don't shoot yet, though. I don't want to have to bury a body on my first night at work." Charlie said quietly.

"Can I help you, Mr. Weston?" Charlie asked loudly, looking pointedly at him.

Weston took a few steps towards Charlie and Menace and she heard Menace step up closer behind her. "I had hoped to have a moment alone with you, Charlie Winston." Weston said, staring at her and then glancing at Menace. "But I see you have a coon bodyguard, so I guess that conversation will have to wait."

Menace growled low in his chest, but Charlie put out her left hand to keep him where he was. "Well you're welcome to speak with me right here, Mr. Weston. However, my _good friend_ will have to stay with us. You see, I don't particularly trust Nazi lovers, with their propensity to systematically massacre of millions of innocent people."

Charlie watched as Weston clenched his jaw and his right hand twitched towards his gun, which was visibly stuck in the front waistband of his jeans. "And I don't trust nigger lovers." He said coldly, spitting on the ground as he walked towards the road. He stopped and turned around as a white Ford pickup truck pulled up and stopped beside him. "I'll see you soon." Weston said, and then he climbed into the truck and it sped off.

Charlie let out the breath that she didn't know that she had been holding. Menace stepped around to look down at her, and he said, "I'll be following you home, Charlie. Just to make sure that you're safe."

Charlie let out a bark of laughter and pulled a cigarette out of the box and placed it between her lips. "That's a good idea, Menace. I appreciate that." She said around the cigarette. Charlie didn't notice her hands were shaking as she lifted her lighter up to the cigarette and lit it.

* * *

Chibs had been sitting in the living room when Charlie got home, and he immediately began to question her about having an escort home. Charlie told him about Weston's appearance at the bar, and that she had noticed him following her when she left the school the day before. The Scotsman blew up in a rage, yelling at her about safety and telling the club about these things. He immediately called Clay and told him what happened, and Clay ordered that a member of the Sons follow Charlie at all times, unless she was at the bar, when he knew that the Bastards would be around. At least, Clay was going to tell T.O. to make sure that a Bastard would be there. Throughout the rest of the weekend, Charlie had been escorted everywhere by a member of either MC. Her brother and Jax were extremely angry with her because she didn't tell anyone about her being followed, but they were equally worried.

On Monday afternoon, Charlie pulled up at the Charming Police Department for her drug test and fingerprinting, and Happy pulled in behind her on his motorcycle. Charlie got out of the truck and headed toward the door when she realized that Happy was following her.

Charlie sighed and spun around to glare at him. "Weston is not going to attack me in the police station, Happy. I think I'll be fine, you know, surrounded by all the police officers and their guns." She growled at him. Three days of MC protection details had her on edge and angry.

Happy stared at her and then shrugged. "You carrying?" He asked roughly.

Charlie sighed again and resisted the urge to stomp her foot. "It's a fucking _police station_. Of course I'm not carrying!"

Happy blinked at her and shrugged again. "Fine." He said. He walked back to his bike and sat down on the seat, staring at her.

Charlie shook her head angrily and stomped up the steps to the door, jerking it open roughly and heading inside. She smiled as she saw Eglee sitting at a desk. The young woman had went to high school with her brother and Jax.

"Hey, Eglee. I'm here for my drug test and fingerprinting for the job at the high school." Charlie said with a smile.

"Yeah, they mentioned that you'd be coming by. We have everything all set up for you." Eglee said as she stood up and motioned for Charlie to follow her.

They went through the fingerprinting process and then Charlie peed in the cup for the drug test. _At least it's easier for the guys to do this_, Charlie thought as she washed her hands afterward. _They have to test so much it must be like riding a bike_. After she had finished with all the necessary tests, Charlie took a deep breath and started towards the front door of the station. Back to her truck and her bodyguard.

Charlie met David as she was heading out of the station.

"Hey, you. I completely forgot to get your number when I saw you the other day. We need to get dinner and catch up." Charlie said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, of course." David said hesitantly. He looked over his shoulder and then pulled Charlie against the brick wall outside of the station's front door. "Look, Charlie, I need to talk to you."

David's face was contorted with concern and a knot started to settle in Charlie's stomach. "Okay." She said. "What is it?"

David put his hands on her shoulders and backed her against the wall gently. "You need to get away from the club." He said urgently, his eyes searching her face. "You're going to get hurt, just like Donna. I can't protect you if you won't get away from them, and now you're working at a bar owned by another club?"

Charlie put her hand on David's chest and pushed gently, but he didn't back up. "I can take care of myself, David. Don't worry about me."

David scoffed loudly and moved his hands to cup her face. "Charlotte Winston, I… I care about you, and I have since you were in high school. For fuck's sake, I took you to your prom! Hell, I took your virginity. The last thing I want is for you to end up dead because you have some illusion of grandeur because you're a daughter of a member of the MC."

Charlie glared at him and jerked her face out of his grasp. "I don't have an _illusion of grandeur_, David Hale. And I have enough protection. I don't need someone else making sure that I am safe." Charlie tried to work her way from between David and the wall, but he pushed against her harder.

"Charlie." He whispered, looking into her eyes. "Please. Please don't make me witness your death too. I… I couldn't handle it." David brought his lips against hers softly, kissing her for only a few seconds before pulling away. He stepped back and Charlie bolted down the front steps. She stopped suddenly when she saw Happy facing her. She couldn't tell where he was looking because of his dark sunglasses, but there was a grim look on his face.

"The Deputy Chief? Really?" He asked shortly.

Charlie growled and gave him the finger. "Kiss my ass, Happy. You're here to make Clay feel better, not question my judgement." Charlie stalked back to her truck, jerked the door open, and slammed it behind her. Once she was inside, she let out a shuddering breath. She started the truck and lit herself a cigarette. She backed out of the parking space, left the station parking lot, and set a course for TM. Her shadow followed close behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

If you see someone _way, _WAY out of character, let me know.

Okay guys, here's where we veer off from Kurt Sutter's _amazing_ storyline. *winks and chuckles* Hold on.

Chapter Six

Charlie exited her truck and headed towards the clubhouse, flicking her cigarette onto the ground as Happy parked his bike. As she stomped into the front room, she saw Half-Sack cleaning tables and noticed that the doors to the chapel were closed.

"Clay?" She asked, looking over at Half-Sack. Charlie heard Happy enter the room behind her.

"They're at chapel. Meeting with… They're in a meeting." Half-Sack said, looking at Charlie and then down at the floor at the death glare she gave him.

"What? Without Killer?" Charlie scoffed, tossing the glare back at Happy. He just stood there with a blank look on his face. "I need to talk to Clay."

Charlie started towards the double doors and Half-Sack flung himself in front of the doors.

"Y-you can't go in there." He stuttered, finally looking her in the eyes. "Clay'll kill me. I- I can't let you go in there."

Charlie growled and pushed him into the doors, bouncing his head off of them. "Clay!" She yelled. "I suggest you wrap up the meeting before I take off the prospects fucking head!"

The doors opened behind Half-Sack and he fell into Tig, who rocked his hips against him and pushed him into the floor. "If I wanted you to sit on my dick, prospect, I'd tell you."

"What the fuck is so important, Charlie?" Clay growled as he came around from the front of the table, an angry look on his face.

"Call off your fucking guard dog, Clay. I'm done. No more shadows, okay? If the League or Weston were going to do anything, they would've made their move already. I swear to God, I will cut out Happy's fucking tongue if you don't pull him off my ass." Charlie ranted, clenching her fists angrily.

"From what I remember," a voice said from her right, "you didn't really have a problem with things in your ass."

The room went silent and everyone turned towards the voice in shock, including Charlie. She felt the blood drain from her face when she saw Ron Tully leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. A small smirk was situated on his pale face. Tully pushed off from the wall and took a few steps towards her, and Charlie backed up quickly, slamming into a hard body behind her. She let out a small gasp and jerked away from the body, looking to see Happy behind her with a confused look on his face.

"I have to go." Charlie whispered, and she mentally slapped herself for being so weak. "Work." She continued, a little more loudly this time, but still barely above a whisper.

Charlie took off quickly towards the door, reaching her hand to the back of her jeans and feeling for her Makarov, then remembering that she had left it under the front seat in her truck because she had went into the police station.

"Charlie!" Someone called out behind her; she couldn't tell whose voice it was because of the ringing in her ears and the loud gulps of air she was taking in. She faintly heard footsteps behind her, and she started running for her truck. "Charlie!" She heard her name again, but she kept going. Her truck was so close; her _gun_ was so close. A hand closed around her upper arm and pulled her to a stop. Instinctively, Charlie jerked around, balled her right fist closed, and slammed her knuckles into a nose, hearing the bones crack. It was Opie.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Opie growled, letting go of Charlie's arm and putting a hand to his nose gently. Blood was starting to flow from his nose and he looked at her. "What the fuck was that about?"

The rest of the club was pouring out of the clubhouse, and Charlie saw Tully following behind them. He still had that smirk on his face, and winked at her as she made eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry, Ope!" Charlie gasped out between deep breaths. "I- I just- I have to go." Charlie turned around and grasped the door handle on her truck, but her hands were so sweaty and shaking so hard that she couldn't keep hold of it. She bit back a sob that threatened to escape from her throat and blinked away tears that formed in her eyes. She had to hold it together until she left TM. Charlie wiped her hands on her jeans quickly and tried the door again, finally opening it and pulling herself into the truck. She closed the door behind her and started the truck, glad that she had left the keys in the ignition; she didn't think that she could put the key in the ignition because her hands were shaking so badly. Charlie backed the truck up and tore out of the lot, barely missing Gemma's Cadillac as it pulled in.

"What the fuck was that?" Clay asked as he watched Charlie's truck disappear. He turned and looked at Tully.

"We've met before." Tully said lightly. "Seattle. Brotherhood's starting to branch out, and I was in Seattle on business when… our paths crossed."

Piney stepped towards Tully and grabbed hold of the front of his shirt. "That was more than a friendly meeting, you peckerwood. My daughter was scared of you. That was terror on her face."

Tully looked lazily over at Clay before speaking. "I suggest you get the old timer off of me, Clay. That is, if you want my help."

Bobby and Tig each put a hand on Pineys' shoulder and backed him away from Tully, who straightened his shirt out and smiled coldly. "Well, I'm sure Charlie will fill you all in on our… past. I'll be around when you've made a decision and decide to reach out."

Clay shook his hand as Tully walked past him. "You might want to ice that." He told Opie as he walked to his Mustang and got in. The club watched as he pulled out of the lot.

Clay turned to Chibs and said, "Find Charlie. I want to hear this fucking story before we vote."

Chibs nodded and started towards his bike when he heard Happy speak.

"She was making out with the Deputy Chief earlier. Might want that story too." Happy said roughly, shrugging his shoulders.

Clay sighed and shook his head. "Jesus Christ. Why me?"

* * *

Charlie broke down sobbing as she pulled into the driveway of Chibs' house. She put the truck in park and cut the engine, but couldn't make herself do any more. Her body was wracked with sobs and tears clouded her vision. She hadn't ever expected to see Tully again, let alone in the chapel of SAMCRO. The shock combined with the memories made her sob harder. _Get it together, Charlie. For fucks sake, you can handle this_. She told herself as she took a few deep breaths, but she couldn't stop the sobs. _He can't have this control over you. You're in Charming. You're home. __These men won't let anyone hurt you._

Charlie pulled her keys from the ignition and opened the truck door. She stepped down onto the pavement slowly, wiping tears as she went. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist and another around her neck, a hand covering her mouth. She immediately began to scream and jerk away from the person, but he held on tighter. Her keys dropped from her hand as she attempted to fight back, but a man came in front of her and grabbed her arms. He was wearing a mask, and she couldn't recognize him. He reached around behind her and pulled the Makarov from the waistband of her pants before forcing a handkerchief over her mouth and nose. The man behind her removed his hand and she felt the cloth cover her mouth and nose, then everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Let me know if you like how this story is going... Or if I'm completely off base... I will tell you that Tully/Charlie is not the final pairing, though... Unless you want that? Vote on the poll for the final pairing on my profile, please.

Chapter Seven

Chibs was pacing back and forth at the bottom of his driveway, waiting for the rest of the club to arrive. When he had gotten to the house, he found Charlie's truck parked in the driveway, but the driver's side door was open, and her keys and gun were on the ground. He checked the house and couldn't find her, and that's when he had called Clay. Chibs stopped pacing when he heard the roar of motorcycles, and let out the breath he had been holding. They would find her. The club would find her.

"Tully's on his way." Clay said as he climbed off his motorcycle. "We might need him and his muscle. Weston and Zobelle aren't AB, and Tully has no problem fucking with them as long as we offer support."

"I still don't think getting in bed with Tully before we hear from Charlie is a good plan, Clay. We need to know what's going on there." Jax said angrily.

"If we need him to find my sister, I'll give him whatever the fuck he wants." Opie said quietly, but loud enough for Jax to hear him. They made eye contact and Jax nodded curtly.

Tully's white Mustang pulled up in front of the bikes, and an old Chevrolet pickup truck followed close behind. There were seven guys in the truck, and only Tully in his Mustang.

Tully got out of his car, cracked his neck, and said, "What, you can't keep track of one little girl?"

Piney growled low in his throat, but didn't say anything. "Look, man, the first place we need to start is with Darby. We know he's working with Zobelle, and he knows the area. If they've got Charlie, Darby will know where she is." Tig said, and the rest of the club nodded their agreement.

"Who knew Tiggy could be so rational?" Bobby said lightly.

"Hey, I want to find Charlie just as much as you guys do." Tig said as he put his helmet on. The others followed suit and headed back towards their bikes. "And I _really_ want to hear the rest of the story about Tully and Charlie's ass."

That comment received a groan from the rest of the club members, and Opie almost broke Tig's jaw as he punched him. "Sorry brother." Tig groaned quietly, cupping his cheek.

* * *

Charlie's head was pounding so loudly that she could hardly think, and her mouth was extremely dry. She tried to lick her lips, and found that there was some kind of gag in her mouth. She groaned softly as she attempted to move each limb, trying them out to see if they were broken; she found them intact, but restrained. Charlie opened her eyes slowly, and found herself in a small room. She was lying on the concrete floor, and there wasn't a piece of furniture or a window to be seen. The only light came from a very dull single bulb hung from the ceiling and a sliver of light shown underneath the crack in the wooden door. Charlie could hear voices, but they were very faint and she couldn't make out anything. Slowly, she rolled onto her stomach and inched across the floor, thankful that the concrete was smooth and not gritty. As she came to rest beside the door, Charlie turned so that her ear was against the crack underneath the door.

"…Aryan Brotherhood… Don't want a war… " She caught occasional phrases from one voice, and then another voice interrupted. This voice sounded angry and cold. "Do as told… Send a message…" A shiver went down Charlie's spine as she realized that she would probably be the means by which these men sent their message. _This has to be Weston or Zobelle_, Charlie thought to herself. _Who else would worry about the AB? The League isn't a part of the Brotherhood, at least I don't think so, otherwise Tully wouldn't have been at the clubhouse_. Just the thought of Tully made Charlie angry and scared, but she pushed that down as she realized that he just might be the way that she made it out of here alive. She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps coming towards the door. She inched away from the door to avoid being hit just in time to hear a key turn in the lock and watch the door open. Two men in ski masks came into the room, and one stepped towards her, sitting her up against the wall. Charlie tried to talk, and looked down pointedly at her mouth. The man closest to her looked back at the other, and he nodded, so the first man pulled the bandana from her mouth.

Charlie swallowed and licked her lips. "I can make sure that you don't incur Tully's wrath." She said quickly. "You and I both know the pain he can inflict. I know firsthand, if you don't, and believe me, you don't want to."

The second man stepped forward and punched her in the face hard, and Charlie gasped as her vision blackened for a moment. "Don't try and intimidate us, nigger lover. We're here to send Clay and the Sons of Anarchy a message. And you're going to help us."

It took Charlie a moment to recover, and when she did, she tasted blood in her mouth. She looked up at the man and spit blood on his shoe. "It won't be the first beating I've taken to protect the club." She said, grinning. "And you can't be any stronger than Tully's guys."

The man who hit her grabbed her arm and hoisted her off of the floor, taking a knife and cutting the ropes around her feet, and pulling her towards the door.

"Who said anything about a beating?"

* * *

They were wasting time, but Happy couldn't see a better way to do things. The club and Tully's men had split up into three groups to try and cover all of the Nord locations as quickly as possible, but no one was having any luck with finding Darby or any of his guys, and they had already killed two hours.

"They knew we'd come looking for them." Happy said gruffly as they left the Hairy Dog. He was with Jax, Bobby, Clay, Tully, and two of Tully's guys. "They're involved, and if she's not already dead, she's hurt."

"Look, we don't know that." Jax replied angrily, slamming his hand into the seat of his bike.

Tully leaned against his car and lit a cigarette. "I agree with the spic. Why else would they take her?"

Clay sighed. "Maybe they're looking to trade. I don't know. But these aren't the kind of guys that would have a problem with hitting a woman."

Tully chuckled to himself and the rest of the guys looked over at him. "It's just… you don't have to worry about Charlie not being able to take a beating."

Jax's mouth was open slightly and he shook his head. "What the fuck happened between you two?" He asked, and just as Tully started to reply, Tully's phone rang.

* * *

Charlie was numb. They were going to rape her. The man pulled her to a support beam in the warehouse, pushing her back against it and raising her arms above her head. He tied them to the beam and started to unbutton her jeans. As he started to pull them down, he leant down as well, and Charlie kneed him in the face as hard as she could. The man fell backwards onto the ground, howling in pain.

"You stupid fucking bitch!" He roared, grabbing his mask and pulling it off to check the damage on his face. The move must have been instinctive, because it dawned on him that he had pulled the mask off and he looked up at Charlie. AJ Weston's nose had to have been broken, and Charlie let out a giggle.

"That's the second nose I've broken today." She said, slightly dazed. It was an inappropriate reaction to her situation, but she still found it funny.

Weston started to rise from the floor, a murderous look on his face, when a gunshot rang out in the warehouse. Charlie looked around frantically and found the second man standing a few feet away with the gun pointed at Weston. He had shot Weston in the chest, and the man fell back onto the ground gasping for breath. The man still wearing his mask pulled out a phone and started to dial numbers.

"You'll tell Tully what I did, right? I stopped him." He said shakily as the line rang.

Charlie nodded vehemently. "Absolutely. I swear."

"Mike, it's Jason. I need you to relay a message to Tully."

* * *

Charlie sat outside the warehouse smoking a cigarette with Jason while they waited on the cavalry to arrive.

"You swear you won't let them kill me, right?" He asked for the millionth time. It had taken her a while to convince him to take off his mask, but he had promised to stay with her until the guys arrived, and it was stupid to continue to wear it. "I only helped him because Darby told me to do whatever he said. But Mike always had my back when we were in Chino; I knew I should've took his offer to join the AB instead of the Nords. I'm just not…"

"Hard enough." Charlie finished for him, wincing at the pain that radiate through her face when she spoke. The whole left side of her face ached. "That's a good thing. For me, at least."

Jason looked over at her. "Why, you think someone from the AB would've just raped you?"

Charlie shrugged. "They would've given me the choice: be beaten or raped. If I chose the latter, then yeah, he would've. If I chose the former, he would've done that too."

Jason was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "You said that you knew the kind pain that Tully could inflict, and that this wasn't your first beating for SAMCRO. You talked about how strong Tully's guys were…"

Charlie took a deep drawl from her cigarette and let it out, standing up as she heard motorcycles in the distance. "I said that it wouldn't the first beating I'd taken to protect the _club_. There's more than one charter."

Opie was the first to park his bike and jump off it, scooping her into a bone-crushing hug before setting her down and looking at her face. He gently cupped her cheek and she winced. "I'm fine. Jason saved my life." She looked back at the man and gave him a small smile, and he smiled back. Opie walked over to him and started to beat the hell out of him.

"Opie! Stop!" Charlie yelled, running over to him. "He saved my life!"

"He kidnapped you!" Opie growled back and continued beating the man.

Charlie looked back at the rest of the club, ignoring Tully and his men. "I promised him that he would come to no harm!" Charlie pleaded with them. "Please."

The club seemed to consider her plea, but they didn't move. Tully walked forward and Charlie stepped back from him. He chuckled and smirked as he continued toward her and placed his hand on the bruise on her face. Charlie flinched.

"Don't act like you don't miss me, Charlotte." He whispered in her ear, his breath hot. "You love to hate me, but you couldn't get enough a few years ago." Tully stepped away and smiled at her before he turned to Jason and Opie, who were still fighting. "Back up, big man." He said, pulling on Opie's kutte. Opie, startled, stopped hitting Jason long enough to throw Tully a confused look. Tully stepped up close to Jason, who was laying on the ground bleeding profusely, and put his foot against Jason's throat.

"I don't like to share my toys." Tully said quietly, and then he pulled a handgun from the back of the waistband of his jeans and shot Jason in the head.

* * *

Tully and his men had to take care of Jason's body. All Charlie had wanted to do was go home and bury herself in her bed, but Clay wouldn't allow it. He made Charlie ride back with Opie to the clubhouse, and they were all seated at the table, with Charlie sitting in an extra chair between Clay and Tig so that she could see the entire table.

"I didn't go to work tonight." Charlie said suddenly.

Clay chuckled and replied, "I called T.O. He said that you're excused for the night. What's important now, however, is that you tell us what the fuck is going on with you and Tully."

Charlie swallowed hard. "Kozik. You know he's a recovering junkie. He slipped about six years ago, and racked up a hell of a debt with a dealer that was connected with the AB. You know that they've been branching out. The dealer worked out of the alley behind the restaurant I worked out at. Tully was there one night when I got off work with a lot of muscle, I guess that since he was 'management,' they needed him to make the call. They had Kozik on the ground. He was already off the stuff on his own, and he was detoxing bad. They were beating him. They were going to kill him, and that was going to cause a problem for the club. I stepped in, and offered to take the beating. Tully offered me the other option, but I took the beating. The first punch knocked me into the recycling bin. Glass bottles. Nasty scars on my back, but I lived." Charlie stared at her hands the entire time she was telling her story. "Kozik and I decided not to tell the club about it. Too many moving parts, and too many people at risk. We didn't need to burn the bridge with the AB if we could help it. That's how Tully and I met."

Clay nodded slowly, his jaw clenched. "Aside from you and Kozik being fucking idiots, that explains a lot. But there's more to the story. Tully made it seem like you two had a relationship."

Charlie swallowed hard. "We did. Sort of. We… I… It was fucked up. Back and forth shit, and he always hung Kozik over my head. Threatened to tell the club and unravel everything." Charlie ran her hands through her hair. "That's as much as you get. That's as much as the club needs to know." Charlie slid her chair back and stood up. "I don't really feel the need to lay my sex life out on the table. Sorry Tiggy."

Charlie made her way to the bar, picking a pack of cigarettes off a table along the way, and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. "I'll be outside when someone's ready to take me home."

Charlie stepped outside and lit a cigarette, then opened the bottle of Jack and took a gulp from the bottle. She coughed a little and shook her head slightly, then took another gulp. After seven gulps, Charlie climbed up on top of a picnic table and lay down on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the awning and smoking her cigarette. Charlie heard a car pull up and the engine shut off, then a door open and close. Charlie, assuming that it was Gemma, continued to lie there and stare at the ceiling. Footsteps came towards Charlie, and she realized that it wasn't the usual clicking that accompanied the arrival of Gemma.

"I see you got back to home base safely." Tully said, looking down at her with a smirk.

Charlie grunted and reached for the bottle of Jack on the bench of the picnic table. She sat up slightly, took two gulps back to back, and set the bottle back down. She coughed slightly and then laid back down on the table, taking a draw off her cigarette.

Tully picked up the bottle and took a sip, then asked, "You tell them the whole story?"

Charlie shrugged and looked at him. "More or less."

Tully took the cigarette from between her fingers and took a draw himself. "So, what? I kill a man for you, and you decide to stop running away from me?" He asked, running a finger lightly down her arm.

"I'm drunk." Charlie stated. "And you have nothing to hold over me. I have nothing to fear."

Tully dropped the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, then climbed on top of the table to straddle Charlie. He placed his hands on either side of her head, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You never had anything to fear. _I_ never hurt you directly. Unless you asked for it, of course." Tully rocked his hips against hers and she felt his hard cock straining against his jeans. Charlie swallowed hard, willing herself not to react. "You've always been my favorite, pet. Even after you cut off all of your hair." Tully transferred his weight from his hands to his elbows, lowering himself onto Charlie as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Less to hold onto." He hissed as he pulled on it, and Charlie gasped, arching up into him. Tully chuckled low in his chest, pulling back to kiss her hard as he rocked against her again.

Someone cleared their throat from the direction of the clubhouse, and Tully growled as he broke the kiss and looked up. Charlie tilted her head back and saw Tig. Although her view was upside down, she saw him adjust the front of his pants and she stifled a laugh. Poor Tiggy.

"I'm supposed to take you home. Chibby is still in the meeting, and I've already made my decision."

"Right." Charlie replied, turning her head to look at Tully. "You have to get off me so I can go home and take a nice, hot bath."

Tully laughed and kissed her hard again, then said suggestively, "Yeah, I'll bet you'll _enjoy_ that bath." He climbed off her and stepped down beside the table, helping her sit up and climb down from the table. She wobbled slightly, and Tully put a hand on her shoulder. "She probably shouldn't be riding on the back of a motorcycle. I'll take her home." He commented as she took another gulp from the bottle of Jack.

Tig took a step towards Charlie. "I agree, but I'll follow you out there. Chibby said you aren't allowed in his house."

Tully shook his head and laughed lightly. "Can't keep me from my pet; she's too fun."

Tig shrugged and headed towards his bike. "That's what the Scot said. And trust me, he will shoot you if he finds you there. Let's get her home before she falls over."

Tully led Charlie to his car and put her in the passenger seat with her bottle of Jack. He returned to the driver's side and started the engine, backing out and heading towards the gate. Charlie was staring out of the passenger window and saw Happy standing at the doorway of the clubhouse, watching the car as it passed by.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Eight

Charlie retched again and continued to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet. A cold washcloth touched the back of her neck and she sighed as she slid away from the toilet and lay her face down on the cold, laminated floor.

"Ye alright, lass?" Chibs asked, kneeling down beside her and moving the washcloth from the back of her neck to her forehead.

Charlie grunted and opened one eye to look up at him.

Chibs chuckled and shook his head. "Ye drank an entire bottle of Jack; what did ye expect?"

Chibs backed up quickly as Charlie heaved herself up and retched into the toilet bowl again, wincing at the memories of his own horrible hangovers. Charlie picked the washcloth up off the floor and pressed it to her mouth, her eyes fluttering closed. "I didn't expect to fucking die this morning." She said weakly, falling back against the bathtub.

Chibs stood up and leaned down, grabbing her under her arms and pulling her up. "Come on. I've got something that'll help ye." Charlie groaned, but followed Chibs slowly into the kitchen. She lowered herself into a chair at the table as Chibs brought a plate and a glass filled with an orange drink to the table and sat it in front of her.

"A scotch egg and Irn-Bru." He said, smiling at her.

Charlie looked down at the plate and swallowed hard. "What?" She asked, looking down at the plate and poking the food with her finger.

"Scottish hangover cure. Irn-Bru is the best soft drink there is, and a scotch egg will cure a hangover just as well. Hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage." Chibs saw the disgusted look on her face and sighed. "Just eat the damn thing."

Charlie picked up the fork on the plate and cut off a piece of the concoction, and ate it. It didn't taste bad, just different. She nodded at Chibs and took a sip of the drink, surprised at the good taste. Chibs dropped two aspirin beside the plate and said, "Just for good measure."

* * *

Chibs had locked her in the house and left around ten to go to TM, but only after tucking Charlie in on the couch with a bottle of water, a bottle of Gatorade, some crackers, and her gun. Charlie spent the rest of the day on the couch, nursing her headache and willing herself not to puke again. She was feeling better later that afternoon, and was making herself a bowl of chicken noodle soup when there was a knock on the door. Charlie jumped, startled, and walked hesitantly to the door, picking up her gun along the way. She looked through the window and saw Tully's white Mustang parked in front of the house. She sighed, unlocked the door, and opened it.

"You look like shit, pet." Tully said as he walked past her into the house, looking around.

"Thanks, come on in." Charlie muttered sarcastically as she closed and locked the door, and then headed back into the kitchen.

Charlie turned off the stove and reached up to get a bowl out of the cabinet, and she felt Tully move up behind her and place his hands on her waist. He pushed against her, pinning her against the counter.

"The club voted to work with my organization." Tully said, nuzzling her neck and kissing her behind her ear. Charlie shivered. "You didn't give them much of a choice, really, after getting kidnapped yesterday, but I wasn't sure how it was going to land. Close vote, from what I understand." He bit her earlobe, gently at first and then harder, eliciting a gasp from Charlie. "Your dad doesn't seem to like me very much. Neither does your brother."

Charlie let out a sharp laugh, trying to distract herself. "Yeah, well, you're somewhat of an… acquired taste."

Tully turned Charlie around and pinned her against the counter top again. Charlie looked up at him, wondering why she was letting this happen. Was she that desperate for sex? It had been a while… But Tully was not the answer to a dry spell. She was pulled from her thoughts as he placed his hand on her bruised cheek.

"Hell of a run, pet. Kidnapped yesterday, hungover today." He said as he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. He kissed her gently and pulled back with a smile. "At least you brushed your teeth." Charlie felt her cheeks heat up and she averted her eyes. "Let Tully make it better, pet." He whispered, sliding his hand down to her throat and kissing her hard, applying a small amount of pressure. Charlie moaned and rocked against him, bringing her hands up to pull his shirt from the waistband of his pants and sliding them up his chest. She raked her fingernails down his chest and across the skin above the waistband of his jeans.

Tully growled and squeezed her throat, and Charlie grinned against his lips. Tully broke the kiss and put his lips against her ear as he slid his other hand down her shorts and into her panties. "What would the club say if they knew their princess was a kinky little slut?" He whispered as he flicked her clit. Charlie gasped and rocked against his hand, whimpering with need. She clenched her hands on his waist, digging in her fingernails. "Do you want more?" He asked playfully.

"Charlie?!" Chibs' voice cut through the moment, and Charlie heard the front door slam against the wall. "Tully?"

Tully growled angrily, but didn't move. "I am really starting to hate these fuckers."

Charlie heard footsteps and the sound of a slide moving back and clicking into place, chambering a round. Tully pulled his hand out of her shorts and slid his fingers into his mouth, pulling them out slowly as he stared into Charlie's eyes. "Still delicious." He said.

"What the hell?" Chibs said gruffly, and Charlie looked over to see him pointing his handgun at Tully. "Tig told ye last night that ye aren't allowed in me house."

Tully pushed away from Charlie, who gripped the counter to stay standing, and looked over at Chibs.

"And I told him that my pet is too much fun to stay away from." Tully said as he mockingly raised his hands into the air. "But I'll go. Don't want to upset you, Scotty."

Tully grinned at Charlie and kissed her bruised cheek gently, then stepped around Chibs and headed towards the front door. Charlie heard it shut behind him, and she took a deep breath as she looked over at Chibs.

"Ye're asking fer trouble wit' that, lass." Chibs said as he set his gun down on the counter and headed to the fridge, taking out a beer and popping the top.

Charlie slid the pot of soup back onto the stove and turned on the eye to heat it back up, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "I know. But he'll find a new interest and move on, especially if the club keeps interrupting his… attempts."

Chibs leaned his back against the counter beside her and took a sip of his beer. "Ye hope. He calls ye 'pet', an' it's not endearing-like… it's… it's possessive. The way he looks at ye… it's like ye're his dinner."

Charlie got a bowl down from the upper cabinet and poured her soup into it, got a spoon out of the drawer, and took her dinner to the table. She walked back to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk, and then she sat down at the table and looked over at Chibs who was still standing in the same spot. He was trustworthy, and she knew that. He hadn't said anything about her scars until she herself had to open up about, and he was so easy to talk to…

"Mine and Tully's relationship – if you can call it that – wasn't, or isn't, based on… feelings." Charlie said hesitantly, staring down at the bowl of soup and stirring it with her spoon. "It was pure lust. And fear, honestly. And… I mean, the sex was phenomenal. But the fear added a… a different element."

Chibs walked over to the table and sat down beside her, slamming his bottle down on the table. "Fer Christ's sake just spit it out. Between Tig and Happy, ye can't surprise me. What, ye like it rough?"

Charlie felt her cheeks heat up and she continued to stare at her soup instead of looking at Chibs. "Well, you could describe it that way. It's just… It was more than simple hair pulling or rough fucking, it was… It was pure domination and fulfillment. It was exciting and dangerous because he was dangerous, and he was _very_ experienced. You have to realize, I was nineteen when this happened. This was pretty much my first introduction to sex. I mean, David took my virginity, but it wasn't mind blowing. And-"

"David _Hale_?" Chibs interrupted her, his voice full of disbelief. "Jesus Christ, I thought Happy was just fucking with us about ye and Hale."

Charlie rolled her eyes and looked over at Chibs. "The man won't say ten fucking words to me, but somehow he has the notion to spread gossip about a _small_ and _chaste_ kiss that David gave me, and that I did not return."

Chibs shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his bottle. "We gossip." He said simply. "And I think our enforcer doesn't know quite what to do wit' ye. He's scared of Gemma, we all are, but she's older than him and Clay's old lady. Wit' ye, ye're just Piney's daughter, but ye can be damn frightening. He calls ye Hurricane Charlie."

Charlie didn't know how to respond to what Chibs had just said. This implied that Happy spent a bit of time contemplating Charlie and how she fit into the dynamic of the club, but she shrugged it off. She didn't particularly know how to handle Happy either, but she didn't worry about it because he wouldn't be staying long. "Well, he can get over it and just keep his mouth shut until he goes back to Tacoma."

"He isn't going back. His mom is sick, she lives in Bakersfield, and we voted in his transfer last night."

Charlie sighed and started eating her soup before it got cold again. Great, now the gossip was staying.

"So, back to yer fucked up choices in relationships…" Charlie groaned and resisted the urge to bang her head on the table. "Hale – ye considering tha'?"

Charlie scoffed and shot Chibs an incredulous look. "Yeah, totally Chibby. Me and Hale, walking down the street, holding hands. The cop and the school teacher. We'll buy a house with a white picket fence, I'll squeeze out a couple kids, and we'll live happily ever after. Except, of course, the kids will have to dodge bullets from both sides of the family, who just might happen to be shooting at one another."

"Christ, ye don't have to be so aggressive, _Hurricane Charlie_."

Charlie narrowed her eyes into a glare and Chibs chuckled, giving her a smug grin. "Alright, so ye won't give Hale the time of day, and ye've got some sort of Stockholm Syndrome mixed with some… fetish _thing_ goin' on wit' Tully."

"Well when you lay it out like that, you make it seem like I'm heading into Happy/Tig territory." Charlie grumbled as she returned to eating her soup. She was feeling better physically, but Chibs wasn't helping her feel better about herself.

"I'm not sayin' that there's anythin' wrong with what ye like, lass. Variety is good; ye could teach it ta some o' the crow eaters, honestly, 'cause as much as I like giving them a good punch up the kickers, they can get pretty boring when all they care about is if ye've got the kutte on or not." Chibs said definitively, and Charlie shook her head and laughed.

"I will get right on that, Chibs. Tuesday afternoons will be 'Sex Training with Hurricane Charlie.'"

"That's got a nice ring to it, that does." Chibs said, clinking his beer bottle against Charlie's glass of milk.

* * *

Charlie was curled up on the couch under a thick blanket later that evening watching "The Shining" with Chibs, who was laid out in the recliner. He had kicked off his boots and removed his kutte and laid it across the back of one of the kitchen chairs, but he hadn't changed into his usual sweatpants and t-shirt that indicated that he was in for the night, so Charlie expected him to leave at some point. She heard a motorcycle pull into the driveway and the engine shut off. Chibs sighed and hoisted himself out of the recliner, kicking the stool so that it folded up and returned to its place.

"It's goin' ta be a late one." Chibs said as he walked to the front door and opened it, then stepped back to the kitchen table to pull on his kutte and shove his feet into his boots. He picked up his gun from the counter and slid it into the inner pocket of his kutte. Charlie leaned her head back and saw Happy come through the front door. "I 'ave to be at the meetin', but Hap's goin' ta stay here wit' ye and make sure everythin' is fine."

Charlie, angry, tried to untangle herself from the blanket and stand up from the couch, but only succeeded in falling onto the floor. She wriggled her way out of the blanket and stood up, her face burning as Chibs dissolved into laughter and Happy's lips twitched into a grin. "I was fine today all by myself. I don't need a babysitter."

Chibs wiped a tear from his eye and held onto his stomach as he recovered from his laughing fit.

"Jerk." Charlie muttered.

"I know ye don' need a babysitter, but things aren't finished wit' the League. Zobelle is still in town, and we don' know if he's decided to move on or keep goin', what with Weston dead now. Clay thought that we should keep an eye on the immediate family, which is you, Gemma, Tara, and Abel." Chibs straightened his kutte and stepped towards Charlie. "Gemma, Tara, and Abel are at Jax's house wit' the prospect. And ye-"

"And I get Happy because Clay knows that we just get along _so well_." Charlie said sarcastically, throwing a glare in Happy's direction. She received a blank look from him.

Chibs sighed and kissed her forehead, then walked to the door. He turned and looked at them both, saying, "Don' shoot one another. An' don' fight in me house an' break shit. Do it in the yard, like the white trash we are."

"I don't hit women." Happy said in his usual gravelly voice as he picked up the television remote from Charlie's blanket on the floor and sat down in the recliner. "She makes me reassess my philosophy, though." He added, seemingly as an afterthought as he pulled the lever and the stool sprang out from underneath the chair, catching his feet as it lifted.

"Ye best be careful wit' that, Hap. She just might like it." Chibs said, grinning at the shocked look on Charlie's face as she turned to him. Chibs shrugged and left, closing and locking the door behind him. Charlie turned, her face red once again, and saw Happy staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh bite me." She growled, grabbing her blanket from the floor and falling onto the couch with a huff. "I didn't say that you could turn the channel."

Silence.

"This is my house, you know. I pay rent here. I don't want to fucking watch cartoons."

Silence.

"It's polite to respond to people when they speak to you."

Happy turned his head slowly and looked at Charlie, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch with her blanket in her lap, staring Happy down. She watched as he clenched his jaw.

"It's polite to not be this fucking annoying to a guest." He responded, his eyes flashing.

"A guest?" Charlie scoffed, throwing the blanket on the floor and standing up. "I didn't ask you here. You're welcome to leave any time, and give me my television back. I can work a gun; I'll be fine."

Happy snorted and turned back to his cartoons, ignoring Charlie as she took a step towards him. "You'll be fine… You took a beating from the Brotherhood, hooked up with their unstable leader, made out with the Deputy Chief that has it out for us, and got yourself kidnapped. You'll probably be the reason when this alliance with the Brotherhood blows up or you'll get us arrested because of Hale. I wouldn't trust you to walk to the fucking mailbox and back. You're a disaster."

Charlie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from replying. She started to taste blood and clenched her fists, then she realized that he was right. If the alliance with the Brotherhood blew up, it would probably be because of her relationship and past with Tully, and people would probably die. Because of her, and because she really was a disaster. She had been so worried about pulling Clay and Tig into the light because she thought that they would destroy the club, but she wasn't any better. Charlie sniffed and blinked, hard, to stop the tears. She wasn't going to let Happy see her cry.

Happy flicked his eyes over to see her bend down and pick up the blanket from the floor, grab her Makarov from the arm of the sofa, and head down the hall. "There's beer in the fridge." She said over her shoulder, and then she went into her bedroom and shut the door.

Charlie threw the blanket onto the bed and set her gun on the bedside table. She sighed and turned on the small lamp on the table, then crossed to the door to turn out the overhead light. She fell onto the bed, face first, then grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest as she turned onto her side. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. Last night hadn't resulted in the best sleep, mainly because she had passed out only for a few hours before she woke up and proceeded to vomit everything that she had ever consumed for hours on end. She closed her eyes, promising herself that she was just going to rest for a few minutes, and then fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Chibs pulled into the carport and cut the engine on his bike early that morning around two, rubbing the back of his neck as he climbed off. It had been a long night, and Cameron Hayes getting shot hadn't made things any easier on them. Those Mayans had almost ruined everything, and the club was lucky that Tara was in the picture now, because Chibs could only do so much.

He didn't know what to expect when he went into the house. Charlie could be out back burying a dead body, or Happy could be doing the same… Best-case scenario was that they were both in the living room watching TV like civilized people. Chibs chuckled to himself as he put his key in the lock. He doubted that the best-case scenario was true. Chibs opened the door and found Happy still in the recliner, watching cartoons. Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

"Everythin' good?" Chibs asked as he kicked off his boots by the door and pulled off his kutte, hanging it from the coat rack behind the door.

"Yeah." Happy said as he climbed out of the recliner. "Pissed her off I think. She's in her room."

Chibs pulled the fridge open and got out two beers, popping the top on both and meeting Happy at the kitchen counter. He handed one to his brother and took a sip of his own as he gave him a onceover. There weren't any new bruises or scratches, so it must not have been a physical confrontation. "How'd ye manage that, brother?"

Happy shrugged as he chugged down half his beer and then set the bottle down on the counter, looking down at his hands. "Said some things I probably shouldn't have. Might have called her a disaster. What do I know? Hurricane shouldn't be this sensitive. She's basically a brother."

Chibs shook his head at his brother's ignorance. Happy wasn't an idiot, but his ability to interact with women ended when he kicked them out of his bed immediately after fucking them. "She's had a couple hard days, Hap. And this Tully guy… That whole mess is, well, a mess. She's confused. Conflicted. An' I don' think that the club is makin' it any easier. Every decision she makes is about the club, not her."

Happy grunted and finished his beer in two gulps. "She wasn't thinking about the club when she climbed into bed with Tully and the Deputy Chief. She's going to get us killed."

"Charlie's sex life isn't going ta kill anyone. Except maybe Tig, who might explode with anticipation." Chibs looked as his brother again, analyzing him. Happy was hard to read because the man didn't let much show, but something was up with him. "I think yer problem is that ye might be a bit jealous."

Happy blinked at Chibs. "Jealous? Of what? I get enough pussy."

"Aye, but is it good pussy?" Chibs asked, pointing at him. "There's a difference. Charlie's not a crow eater. She's strong and fiercely loyal to the club. Ye wouldn' have ta hide anythin'. Clay's the only one lucky enough to have someone like that." Chibs winked at him. "Apparently, Charlie's kinky too."

"Not interested." Happy said, walking back into the living room and digging his keys out from his pocket. "Sounds like you might be, though."

Chibs followed him and shrugged. "Nah, not that she wouldn' be great. Nice ass, great tits. But she's starting ta grow on me like a sister would."

Happy opened the door and turned back to look at Chibs, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "A brother wouldn't notice her ass and tits."

Chibs laughed and slapped his back. "Eh, I said she was startin' ta be like a sister. I'm not a blind idiot."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Nine

When Charlie woke up the next morning and drug herself into the kitchen around nine, she found Chibs, Opie, and Jax sitting around the kitchen table. She walked over to Opie, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and took a draw off it as she walked back to the counter to make herself a cup of coffee.

"That was my cigarette." Opie grumbled as he dug into his kutte for his pack of cigarettes.

"Well, to what do I owe the pleasure of waking up to two more of SAMCRO's finest?" She asked as she shoveled sugar into her coffee cup.

Jax laughed and replied, "Ope wanted to come check on you, and I came along for the ride. Wanted to see how many bullet holes and blood stains you and Hap left in Chibs' carpet."

Charlie rolled her eyes and opened the fridge, hunting for food but coming up empty. She closed the door and sat down at the table between Jax and Chibs, taking a sip of her coffee as she flicked ashes into the ashtray on the table. "No blood. No bullets. He turned the TV to cartoons; I went to bed. Slow night."

Chibs glanced over at Charlie, knowing that she had omitted the argument that had occurred between her and Happy.

"Well that's boring." Jax sighed, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip, then grimacing as he swallowed. "Jesus Christ, how do your teeth not rot out?"

Charlie smirked and pulled her cup back towards her. "Don't drink my coffee, jackass." She turned to Chibs and said, "There's no food here, so I'm going to go grocery shopping today. Do you want anything particular?"

Chibs shrugged as he took a sip of his own coffee. "Nah, ye get what ye like, lass. Another lasagna would be good. I can make that." He grinned at her and Charlie laughed. "I don' know. We could grill out tonight; club doesn' have anythin' pressin', unless somethin' happens. Juicy could come over; we'll make a night of it. Just get a lot of meat. We'll freeze it if we need ta. I've got a deep freezer hooked up out back."

Charlie nodded and stood up with her coffee cup. "Okay then. I'm going to go get ready. It takes time to make this," waved her hand across her face and down her body, "_beautiful_." She laughed.

"Yeah, we weren't gonna say anything, but you're downright scary looking in the morning." Jax joked. "I don't know how Chibs doesn't have nightmares."

Charlie glared at him and smacked the back of his head.

"Ye should've seen her yesterday mornin', Jackie boy. Now _that_ was scary." Chibs said, laughing as Charlie swatted at him and he moved out of the way.

Charlie dropped a kiss on the top of her brothers' head as she made her way out of the kitchen, but she heard him get up and follow her down the hall. He leaned against the doorjamb of her bedroom as she set her coffee cup down on the nightstand and rummaged through her closet for clothes.

"Pop's worried about you. Mom too. You haven't come to see her since you got back." Opie said, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the floor. "And dad doesn't want you to be in contact with Tully."

Charlie threw a pair of jeans and a red tank top onto the bed before kneeling in front of a drawer. "Mom will survive. I'll call her later. And dad… Look, Tully's my business." Charlie threw a pair of underwear and a bra on top of the clothes on her bed and stood up, turning to look at her brother.

Opie met her gaze and said, "No, Tully's club business now. Unfortunately."

"I know."

"You know?" Opie's eyes narrowed. "How? Chibs wouldn't have said anything."

Charlie didn't answer, and Opie sighed. "Tully. You've talked to him since the other night?"

"He stopped by yesterday. We had a… chat." Charlie averted her eyes and cleared her throat.

Opie stomped towards her and forced her to look at him by grabbing her chin. "Are you fucking him again?"

Charlie jerked away from his hand and scowled. "No, but even if I was, it wouldn't be any of your business, Opie. My sex life is just that - _mine_. It's not your business; it's not dads; it's not the clubs." Charlie's voice rose as she talked. She was pointing at Opie and stabbing her finger into his chest for emphasis. "I'll fuck whoever the fuck I want to. I'm 25 years old, for Christ's sake! I'm not an idiot."

Opie scoffed. "Yeah, well for a 25 year old with a college education, you act like an idiot." He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Wake up, Charlie. He doesn't care about you. He's just using you; partly to get under everyone's skin. It was a 5 to 4 decision, and that was barely because Bobby and Jax both hate the peckerwoods guts but they think he's useful."

Charlie laughed and grabbed Opie's forearms because his hands were still on her shoulders. She shook his arms and said, "Wake up Opie! Members of the club and crow eaters are not the only ones who have sex to scratch an itch. I don't love Tully, you fucktard! I just have… needs."

Opie let go of her shoulders and stepped back quickly, his face twisting in disgust. "I didn't need to hear you say that. Christ."

Charlie heard Jax and Chibs erupt into laughter in the kitchen, and Charlie smirked, knowing that the whole club would know about this conversation by lunch, and that Opie would be hard pressed to live it down.

Ope shook his head, hard, as if to rid his mind of Charlie's words, then said, "Okay, well, we're good, then?"

Charlie laughed as she picked up her clothes from the bed and her makeup case from the dresser. "Yeah, we're good, Ope. I'll find someone else to tend to my _needs_."

Opie gagged and shuddered, then headed out of her room. Charlie followed behind him and gave Chibs and Jax, who had moved to stand at the end of the hall to hear better, a big smile. They returned her smile with shit-eating grins, and Chibs gave her a thumbs up. Laughing to herself, Charlie went into the bathroom and closed the door, throwing her clothes over the back of the toilet and setting her makeup bag on the counter. She left most of her toiletries in the bathroom, like shampoo, conditioner, her razor, and shave cream, but she tried to take her makeup back to her room after she showered each day. The bathroom didn't have much counter space, and she didn't really want to test the Scot's patience. She was his roommate, not his girlfriend.

Charlie turned on the shower to let the water heat and she examined her face in the bathroom mirror. Her green eyes weren't as bloodshot as they had been yesterday, and her dark circles had vanished somewhat, so that was an improvement. Her hair looked like shit, and she agreed with Jax that she looked scary. It was starting to grow out a bit, and her eyebrows needed waxed as well. She was surprised that Tully was even attracted to her at this point. _Well, lust is lust, baby girl,_ Charlie thought to herself as she shed her shorts, sports bra, and tank top and climbed into the shower. The hot water felt so good and Charlie took her time. She and Chibs shared his shower gel, Bulgari, because she had forgotten to buy any and it smelled heavenly. Charlie realized that it probably made her smell like a man, but she loved the shower gel anyways. Charlie had learned fairly quickly that it was one of few things Chibs' splurged on, aside from beer, cigarettes, and parts for his motorcycle. He special ordered it from Nordstrom, and Charlie had made fun of him for spending forty-five dollars on a bottle of body wash… until she had smelled it herself. They still had half a bottle, but she made a mental note to go online and order another bottle soon.

Reluctantly, Charlie made herself get out of the shower and dry off, then she got dressed after she rubbed her hair vigorously to get out the excess water. She opened the bathroom door to let in some fresh air, because she had steamed up the tiny bathroom significantly, and she started on her makeup. Her mother didn't wear makeup and had never taught Charlie how to, and Gemma had tried to teach her, but it didn't stick, so Charlie mainly stuck to foundation, powder, and a little bit of eyeliner. It wasn't much, but it was simple. Charlie packed up her makeup, threw her towel over the shower rod to dry, and picked up her clothes from the floor, then dumped everything in her room. She grabbed her forgotten, and now cold, coffee cup from the bedside table and took it into the kitchen to pour it out. Chibs, Jax, and Opie were nowhere to be seen, so she assumed that they had left for TM. There was a note on the counter with a couple hundred-dollar bills.

**Hurricane,**

**Like I said, buy a lot of meat and we'll freeze it for later. We need beer too.**

**Chibs**

**P.S. – You'll have a shadow. Don't shoot him.**

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Charlie growled to herself as she marched to the front door, unlocked it, and wrenched it open.

Juice was sitting on the front step with his head in his hands, but he jumped up as soon as he heard the door open.

"Hey! I knocked, but no one answered." He said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, sorry, I was in the shower." Charlie smiled back at him and stepped to the side. "Come on in; I'm almost ready. I just have to shoot my hair with the blow-dryer for a minute."

Juice walked into the house and sat down on the couch, picking up the remote and turning on the TV. Chibs' house was pretty much like a second home to Juice, and Charlie enjoyed how at ease he was there. Hell, everyone that visited was at ease, but she guessed that was because the guys were so close. That's what the brotherhood of the Sons of Anarchy was like. Charlie smiled to herself as she walked down the hall and plugged up her hair-dryer. She fixed her hair as best she could, promised herself that she would find a hairdresser, placed her phone in her back pocket, and grabbed her boots, a pair of socks, and her gun from the dresser. She walked back to the living room, set her gun on the table beside the recliner, and sat down on the edge of the recliner as she pulled on her socks and boots.

"So, where are we going today?" Juice asked, looking at her with that puppy dog face, and Charlie couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.

"Well, the grocery store for sure. You're invited to dinner, by the way. Chibs wants to grill out." Charlie said as she stood up, checked that the safety was on, and tucked the Makarov into the back waistband of her pants. "I need to find a hairdresser to trim my hair, but I know you don't want to wait around for that. You've probably got better things to do than follow me around."

Juice stood up and turned off the TV, practically bouncing on his heels. "I don't mind. I get to ride my bike instead of being cooped up in the garage all day."

Charlie walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cash that Chibs had left, sliding it into her pocket. "Well okay then. Let's get going." Charlie grabbed her keys off the hook by the door, let Juice out, and then locked the door behind her. She walked to her truck and opened the passenger side door, then called to Juice to come over before he got on his bike.

"Hey, do you have a pocketknife? I left mine in the house."

Juice dug around in his pocket and handed her a small knife. Charlie pulled the floor mat of the passenger side up, opened the knife, and wedged the tip into the floor, pulling up a piece of the carpet. There was a small hole in the floor, and a wad of cash was in the floor.

"Shit." Juice said, looking over at Charlie.

Charlie shrugged and counted out two hundred dollars in twenties, shoved the bills into her pocket, then replaced the carpet and the floor mat. "I don't trust banks." She closed the pocketknife and handed it back to Juice. "But I can trust you, right?"

"Of course!" Juice replied, his eyes almost bugging out of his head. "I wouldn't tell anyone."

Charlie smiled at him and closed the door, then went around to the driver's side. "Alright then; let's go spend Chibs' money."

* * *

Charlie didn't know how much fun grocery shopping could be until she went with Juice. He was funny and smart, and they had a great time picking out food for the house. He told her what Chibs usually liked and didn't like, and was just helpful all around. Charlie was picking out fresh salad ingredients in the produce department while Juice was in the ice cream section, deciding which flavor he wanted. As Charlie had approached the produce department, she realized how poorly she had been eating and how much alcohol she had been drinking, and that did not bode well for her body. She wasn't a stick by any means, and she envied Tara and Gemma's bodies, but she wasn't overweight, and she intended to stay that way. _I'll get some fresh fruits and veggies, and I'll start running again. Maybe I can convince Chibs to go with me,_ Charlie thought to herself as she walked around the department, analyzing the produce.

She bumped into someone and she gasped, grabbing onto the woman who stumbled. "I'm so sorry! I was completely preoccupied in my mind. Are you okay?"

The woman was wearing a pantsuit, and her dark blonde hair framed her face, making her blue eyes pop. "Yes, I'm fine." She said, and Charlie realized that she still had hold of the woman's arm, and Charlie let go quickly.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to fall." Charlie said, smiling hesitantly, but the woman didn't return the smile. Charlie saw Juice come towards her from the corner of her eye, and he had a carton of ice cream in his hands. He came up behind Charlie, set the carton in the grocery cart, and stepped beside her, almost in front of her.

"Juice, isn't it?" The woman asked with a smirk on her face. Charlie was confused, and the woman turned her eyes to Charlie. "Agent Stahl, ATF."

Charlie swallowed hard, and Juice grabbed onto Charlie's arm as she took a step toward the woman. This was the bitch that got her sister-in-law killed, and Charlie felt her blood start to boil.

Stahl, with her smirk still in place, said, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Charlotte. I've read so much about you. Cum Laude graduate at UDub, and now you've got a teaching position at the local high school, right? I've done my research."

Charlie narrowed her eyes. "Congratulations. Would you like a fucking cookie?"

"You might want to be careful, Charlotte. We wouldn't want anything to show up on that background check for the school, would we?"

Charlie clenched her jaw and Juice pulled her back a step, clearly afraid that she was going to attack Stahl. "It's not enough that you got my sister-in-law killed, but now you want to destroy my career? What, are you not a good enough pig to actually do investigative work that you have to destroy innocent bystanders?"

Something flashed in Stahls' eyes, but Charlie watched her force a smile onto her face. "I'll be seeing you, Miss Winston."

The woman turned around and started to walk away, and Charlie said loudly, "I hope not. I rather enjoy being alive."

Stahl paused for a moment, but then continued to walk away with her shoulders rigid. Juice looked over at Charlie incredulously.

"What was that about?"

Charlie shrugged and went back to picking out her produce. "The less you know, the better, Juicy. Trust me."

Charlie finished her shopping and paid, then she and Juice loaded everything into the cab of her truck, with the exception of the two cases of beer that went in the bed. Juice followed her home and helped her unload and put everything away, they ate sandwiches for lunch from some deli meat that Charlie had bought, and then Charlie decided to ride back with him on his motorcycle to TM to see her dad. Juice handed her his helmet as he climbed onto the bike and started it. Charlie put on her sunglasses and clipped the helmet on, then climbed on behind him, wrapping her hands around his waist. Juice pulled out of the driveway and revved the engine, accelerating quickly as Charlie laughed. She closed her eyes as the wind whipped against her face and the sun beat directly on her skin. She loved riding on a bike, and she hadn't really enjoy it the other night when she rode with Opie because of the turmoil of the day. Juice pulled onto the lot at TM and Charlie climbed off the bike as he prepared to back it into his spot. She saw Happy and Chibs sitting at one of the picnic tables, and they were both watching her. Charlie took of the helmet, thanked Juice for the ride, and headed for the picnic tables.

"Here's your change." Charlie said as she sat down beside Chibs and handed him the money.

Chibs shrugged and pushed the money back at her. "Ye can keep it, lass. I know ye haven't been paid from the bar yet."

Charlie laughed, leaned over, and shoved the money into the front pocket of his kutte. "I have money, Chibs. I paid for half of the groceries. I'm not your charity case."

Happy snorted softly and Charlie turned her head slowly to look at him, but she didn't reply. She knew Happy's opinion of her, and that was just fine.

"I got the steaks that you wanted. I also got plenty of hamburger, cube steak, chicken, and a pot roast. I broke it up into Ziploc bags and put it in the deep freezer out back, and we can defrost what we want as we want it." Charlie stood up, ruffled Chibs' hair, and headed towards the clubhouse. "I'm going to talk to my pop. Don't leave without me."

Chibs laughed. "I wouldn' dream of it, lass."

Charlie spotted her dad and Bobby sitting at the bar and headed towards them, sliding her sunglasses onto the top of her head. They both smiled when they saw her, and Charlie stopped beside Bobby, who put his arm around her in a side-hug and kissed her temple.

"You doin' okay, princess?" Bobby asked, his eyes searching her face. "You've had a rough few days."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Life goes on, right?"

Bobby laughed and Piney grunted. Charlie looked over at her dad. He had prominent dark circles under his eyes and there was a deep frown on his face. Charlie slipped out from Bobby's arm and stepped over to her dad, wrapping her arm around his waist and dropping her head onto his shoulder. "You okay, pop?"

"Depends. Sometimes I'm worried. Others I'm pissed."

Charlie bit her bottom lip and looked over at Bobby, who shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "I've… got to be somewhere other than here." He said, clearing his throat as he stepped away from the two and headed towards the front door of the clubhouse, leaving the door open behind him.

"So, are you pissed at me?" Charlie pulled away from her father and sat down on the stool that Bobby had just vacated, staring down at the floor.

"Charlotte… I honestly don't know. I thought that you knew better than to get involved with someone like Tully – involved in any way. You're supposed to be the child that thinks things through; the one that I can count on to be smart."

"Why? I'm no better than Opie. He's your heir, successor, whatever."

Piney slammed his hand onto the counter then balled it into a fist, and Charlie jerked her head up to look at him. "You're still on about that? Charlie, you've known all your life that you'll never be a member of this club, and frankly, I wouldn't want you to be a member right now. This shit with Tully, you think that was a good idea? A good plan?"

Charlie let out a strangled scream and stood up quickly the stool falling down behind her and slamming onto the floor. "Why the fuck is it such a big deal that I had sex with Tully? For heaven's sake, all of you fuck anything that walks through those doors as long as it has a pussy! I'm twenty-five years old; I'm allowed to have a sex life."

Charlie heard footsteps and turned to see Chibs, Bobby, Tig, and Jax standing in the doorway. She ignored them and looked back at her father. _Screw them,_ she thought. _If they want to be nosey, the so be it._

"It's not the same thing." Piney growled, taking a deep breath from his oxygen tubes.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you're my daughter!" Piney yelled, standing up too. "My daughter will not be some peckerwood's whore! I won't allow it."

Charlie shook her head slowly and bit her lip, then said, "You don't get to call me a whore. I don't deserve that." She turned and walked towards the door, pushing past the men who gave her sympathetic looks. Once Charlie got outside, she realized that she didn't have a vehicle at TM, and she sighed.

She started toward the gate and the main road, and heard Jax yell out behind her, "Charlie! Where are you going?"

"Home. I'll walk." Charlie shouted over her shoulder, and she heard Jax jog up behind her and he grabbed her arm.

"Charlie, let me drive you." He pleaded. "Come on; it's five miles."

Charlie jerked her arm from his hand. "I said I'll fucking walk."

Jax sighed and stopped, and watched Charlie until she was out of sight. He jogged back down to where Chibs, Tig, and Happy were standing by the picnic tables.

"Bobby's talking to Piney. Maybe he can smooth this over." Tig said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

"I'll go after her." Jax said, and he headed towards his bike.

"No." Happy's gravelly voice stopped him. "I'll go. Hurricane's angry and she's gonna lash out. She already hates me. No harm to do."

Jax hesitated, looking over at his usually silent brother. "I don't know." He said. "You might agitate her more…"

Happy shrugged and headed towards his bike. "If I can't get her on the bike, I'll follow her home."

Jax watched as Happy sat down on his bike and buckled his helmet. "She might shoot you."

"Won't be my first bullet wound." Happy cranked his bike and drove out of the lot.

Chibs looked over at Tig and Jax, shaking his head. "The man has a death wish."

"I agree." Tig said, and Jax couldn't help but agree as well.

* * *

A/N: Bulgari, also known as Bvlgari, is a real line of personal products, such as shampoo, conditioner, etc. And let me tell you, it smells _amazing_ on both males and females, but particularly on males. And I just see Chibs as being someone who would splurge on something personal, whether it be cologne or body wash or maybe a special kind of coffee. Not to be snooty, but to have certain things that he likes that are a little high end. But that's just how I see him.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Ten

Charlie huffed when she heard a motorcycle behind her. She continued walking, keeping her eyes straight ahead as the bike slowed down beside her. The engine cut off and she looked over at Happy who stayed seated.

"Really? They sent you?"

"Couldn't have you shoot the VP, doctor, or SAA." Happy said quietly as he took off his sunglasses and looked at her. "Get on the fucking bike."

"No."

"You realize you're acting like a child."

Charlie gritted her teeth and took a step towards him. "Do _you_ realize that my father just called me a whore? In front of most of the club, no less?"

Happy shrugged. "So what? If you're a whore, own it."

Charlie took both hands and shoved him on the chest. Happy let himself fall back a little, but he stayed on the bike. "I'm not a fucking whore! I've slept with three people since I was seventeen, for heaven's sake. You people sleep with three women a _night_, and that's being conservative!"

Happy was silent for a moment, and then he said, "So, actually, you're not a whore - you're a prude."

Charlie groaned in frustration and stomped her foot. "No, I'm not! I just really like the sex with Tully, and it's hard to get that with someone else. He meets certain… criteria."

Happy raised an eyebrow. "He's a peckerwood with a fucked up haircut. That's your thing?"

Charlie shook her head and sighed. "If I get on the bike, can we drop this?"

"No, I'm interested now. Is this what Chibs was talkin' about the other night? About you liking it if I hit you? You some kind of rough sex freak?"

Charlie glared at him. "You do realize that you and Tig are freakier than anything I could ever be into, right?"

"Well yeah, but people expect it from us. You're Opie's sweet little sister. I mean, you obviously have some series issues when it comes to the people you chose to fuck, but I didn't peg you for a sexual deviant." Happy grinned at her, and Charlie realized that this was the first time she had seen him smile. He was actually kind of handsome when he smiled.

Charlie felt her cheeks heat up and she bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay, I am not a sexual deviant. I just have certain preferences when it comes to enjoying sex, alright? Can we go now?"

Happy shrugged. "Sure, we can go. Don't think this is a free ride, though. Chibs was talking about steaks earlier, so I guess I'm staying for dinner." Happy handed her his helmet.

Charlie snapped on the helmet and swung her leg over the bike, placing her hands on his shoulders as she pressed against his back. She whispered in his ear, "What? You don't want a blowjob as payment?" She felt Happy's shoulders tighten under his kutte and she sat down, grinning at the obvious tension in his neck. "I can put a crow eater to shame."

Happy cleared his throat and hoisted the bike off its kickstand. "Don't see how. You've only had sex with three guys."

Charlie laughed. "You don't have to have sex to suck a dick, Happy. I'm sure you've had your dick sucked plenty of times without fucking the crow eater that gave it to you."

Happy just grunted and started the bike, and Charlie lifted her feet onto the pegs as he started down the road. Charlie laughed to herself quietly as the tension in Happy's shoulders didn't recede. _Okay, so you did kind of act like a whore there, Charlie-girl, _she thought to herself. _But everyone's calling you one, so why not embrace it?_ They pulled up to Chibs' house and saw that Juice and Chibs' bikes were already parked out front. Charlie climbed off the bike and pulled the helmet off, handing it to Happy who set it on the seat after he got off. Happy followed Charlie into the house where they found Juice carrying two beers out the back door into the backyard.

"We whole?" He asked, looking Happy and Charlie up and down.

"Yeah. All good." Happy said as he went to the fridge to get himself a beer.

Charlie and Happy followed Juice outside and saw Chibs lighting the charcoal grill. Juice popped the top on a beer and handed it to Chibs, who took it and looked over at Charlie.

"Ye alrigh', sweetheart? Tha' was pretty tough back there."

Charlie shrugged her shoulders and walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek, and then taking his beer. She took a few sips and handed it back to him. "I'd go fuck Tully right now if I hadn't promised Ope that I would find someone else to help with my needs."

Juice, who had just taken a large gulp of his beer, spit it out and started coughing. Happy slapped him on the back hard, and Charlie grinned. "Sorry, Juicey."

Chibs chuckled and said to them, "Why don' you and Hap head over to the buildin' and pull out some o' the chairs I 'ave in there."

Happy and Juice headed off across the backyard to Chibs' storage building. "So, I've been thinking. I want to start running again and I want to start eating healthy. Well, healthier… You know, pudging out is not in my game plan."

Chibs laughed and looked over at her. "Yer not pudgy, lass. Ye look fine."

"Yeah, well, if I eat pizza and beer every night, I will be. I don't have the benefit if beating Mayans and other bad guys to a pulp for exercise like you guys." When Juice and Happy were within earshot, for Juice's benefit, Charlie added, "And since I can't get my exercise with Tully anymore, I need to find other ways to stay in shape." Juice stumbled and dropped the two Adirondack chairs he was carrying. He looked at her with wide eyes, and Charlie hoped that he hadn't broken the chairs. Happy snorted quietly and shook his head slightly as he set his two chairs on the ground and pulled them apart. Charlie shot him a smile and headed into the kitchen to grab the steaks and herself a beer. _So now you and Happy are friends?_ She asked herself as she pulled the steaks and a beer out of the fridge. _I guess it's better than hating each other's guts and threating to shoot one another_. Charlie shrugged to herself and carried the steaks outside.

* * *

Charlie was washing the dishes at the sink later that night when Happy came into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge.

"Grab me one?" Charlie asked as she rinsed a plate and put it in the dish drainer.

Happy popped the top on one beer and set it beside the sink, then opened his own, took a sip, and picked up a towel to start drying the dishes. Charlie glanced over at him but didn't comment.

"Chibs and Juice watching TV?" Charlie asked as she handed Happy a cup to dry.

Hap nodded. "Juice is probably going to sleep on your couch tonight."

Charlie smiled to herself. "You're welcome to stay too. I'll make Chibs drag his ass down the hall to his bed so you can sleep in the recliner." Charlie pulled the stopper out from the drain as she rinsed the last plate and handed it to Happy to dry.

"I'm good." Happy said as he finished drying the plate and started to put them away.

Charlie picked up her beer, hopped up onto the counter, situated herself, and took a sip of her beer. "So, you going to live in the dorm at the clubhouse?"

Happy finished putting up the dishes and leaned back against the counter beside her, drinking his beer slowly. "I've actually got my eye on a house less than a mile down the road. Nice place; got a pool."

Charlie jerked her head to look over at Happy. "A pool? Shit, you need to buy this place, Happy! I need access to a pool!"

Happy let out a small laughed and shook his head. "If I buy the house, you can clean the pool for unlimited access. Deal?"

Charlie put her hand out, Happy took it in his, and they shook on it. "Deal."

Chibs shuffled into the kitchen and looked at the two. "What? Are ye two best buddies now?" He asked as he opened the freezer and pulled out the birthday cake ice cream that Juice had picked out. Charlie stuck her tongue out at him and reached behind her to get him a bowl. She handed it to Chibs, who said, "Ye best be careful. I might jus' cut that damn thing out while ye're sleeping. It might stop tha snoring." He pulled a spoon out from a drawer and started shoveling ice cream into his bowl.

"I do not snore!" Charlie exclaimed, staring at him with her mouth open.

Happy laughed, and Chibs licked his spoon before pointing it at Charlie. "Ye snore, lass. Ye shake the fuckin' house." He put the lid on the ice cream and put it back in the freezer, and then picked up his bowl of ice cream and headed back into the living room.

"I was going to tell you that you're my best friend, Chibs!" Charlie yelled after him. "But I changed my mind now."

Charlie and Happy heard Chibs chuckle from the living room, but he didn't reply. Happy drained his beer bottle and put it in the trash, then walked to the kitchen table and picked up his kutte, which he had laid across the back of one of the chairs. Charlie jumped down from the counter and followed Happy into the living room. Juice was spread out on the couch fast asleep, and Chibs was eating his ice cream in the recliner with the television turned to the History Channel.

"See ye tomorrow, brother." Chibs said, looking over at Happy as he headed towards the front door.

"See you, brother." Happy opened the door, then turned back with a small smirk. "Try and get some sleep through all the noise."

Charlie scowled, but then laughed. "Be careful, Happy. I don't know what the updated status is with everything, but you are riding alone."

Happy locked eyes with Chibs, who shrugged slightly and nodded.

"We're good." Happy said, pulling his keys out from his pocket. "Chibs'll fill you in." Happy left and shut the door behind him, and Charlie whirled around to look at Chibs.

"What's going on?" She asked, staring Chibs down.

Chibs sighed and took a bite of his ice cream. "Can't a man eat his ice cream and watch a documentary in his own living room in peace?"

Charlie glared at him and kicked the recliner. "No, not when he has me as a roommate. Spill."

"We're in the process of getting rid of Zobelle. We've done some digging' – well, Tully as well, and got some information tha' will help wit' tha'. The problem is we're pretty sure that the Mayans ordered a hit on Clay an' Darby, an' we don' want ta have ta fight two wars right now. We've got Sons coming in from the other charters, but we need Tully and his men, badly. We don' have much cash on hand, and we don' have a good gun stock right now." Chibs finished his explanation and took another bite of his ice cream, and Charlie giggled.

"You're so fucking nonchalant, do you know that?" Charlie kept giggling, and she couldn't stop. She was a little buzzed, but nowhere near drunk, and she didn't know why she couldn't stop. "There was a hit on Clay, and we're going to have two wars in Charming, and _Tully_ is your backup, and people are going to die, and you're just sitting there, eating your ice cream like it's no big deal." Charlie was full out laughing by now, and she had woken Juice up, who was looking around confused. Charlie squatted on the floor, then fell onto her knees, continuing to laugh, tears streaming down her face. Chibs climbed out of the recliner, set his bowl down on the side table, and kneeled in front of her.

Chibs grabbed Charlie by her shoulders and looked at her, saying, "Are ye alrigh', lass?"

Charlie nodded, trying to control her laughter. She took a few deep breaths and got control of the laughter, only laughing occasionally. "It's just… been a rough few days, Chibs. And today my dad called me a whore, and he truly believes it, I think." Charlie wiped a few tears from her face and laughed. "And now ATF wants my ass, and we're about to be in two wars, and I was kidnapped. And, son of a bitch, if I really don't need a good lay!"

Chibs let out a bark of laughter, and Juice squirmed on the couch uncomfortably. Chibs hugged Charlie, then stood up and pulled her onto her feet. "I think it's time fer bed, lass. Ye need sleep. Everythin' will be alrigh'. No one is dyin', and yer da will come around. As fer the sex, there are plenty of candidates that _aren't_ Tully, so try that avenue, okay?"

Charlie nodded and allowed Chibs to lead her down the hallway to her bedroom. He kissed her forehead, gave her another hug, and then left the room, closing the door behind him. Charlie kicked off her cowboy boots and socks, then changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, then climbed into bed. A few more tears leaked out of her eyes, and she wiped them away angrily before she took a deep breath and relaxed, falling into a deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Charlie showered and left the house to see whether the beauty salon on Main Street was still operating. Chibs and Juice were already gone when she left, and since she didn't have a tail, she figured that things were going well with the club. Or, at least, they weren't expecting an imminent threat in Charming. Charlie parked her truck in front of the salon and went in, glad that it was a Wednesday morning and the ladies weren't busy. She was quickly ushered into a chair where she told the stylist that she need a trim and an eyebrow waxing, and an hour and a half later, Charlie left the salon feeling much better. As she climbed into her truck, her cell phone rang, and Charlie answered it.

"Yep?"

"Where the fuck are you?" Tig growled through the phone, and Charlie clicked her tongue at him.

"Well I wasn't aware that I needed to check in and out of the house, daddy. I'm on Main Street; what's going on?"

"We're on lockdown. Go to the house and pack a bag; one of us will meet you there."

The line went dead, and Charlie sighed in frustration. She had barely been home two weeks, and the entire town was falling apart. She started the truck and headed home, where she found Kozik and Happy waiting for her. Charlie slid down out of her truck and smiled at them.

"Wow, I get two escorts to take me down the road five miles. The Mayans must have a fucking nuclear bomb." Charlie said as she walked to the front door, unlocked it, and went inside. Happy and Kozik followed her.

"Actually, Clay seems to think that I'm an incompetent liability now that you've spilled the beans." Kozik said, and his voice wasn't exactly warm.

Charlie shot him a warning glare and said, "Yeah, well, you're still breathing thanks to me, so I think we're even."

Charlie headed down the hallway and went into her room. She heard footsteps behind her and the doorjamb creaked. Charlie glanced over her shoulder to see Happy leaning against the doorjamb as she pulled a duffel bag out of the closet and started throwing clothes into the bag.

"How many days are we looking at? What about work?" Charlie asked as she shoved a couple of tank tops into the bag along with another pair of clean jeans.

"Few days. You'll have an escort to work and back. Bastards will keep someone at the bar the entire night." Happy said as he watched her.

"Do I get more information, or do I just get the babysitters without explanation?" Charlie asked as she pulled out a few pair of underwear, some socks, and another bra and shoved them in the bag. She didn't get a reply and she turned to see Happy still staring at her. "Well?"

"I'm just the messenger." He growled, but the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

Charlie shook her head and pulled her cell phone charger from the wall and shoved it in the bag along with her laptop and makeup bag. She swung the duffel over her shoulder and headed toward the door, and Happy stepped to the side to let her past. Charlie stepped into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush and some toothpaste, and then she headed down the hallway and grabbed her favorite book off the bookshelf in the living room. She motioned the guys towards the front door.

Kozik noticed the book in her hand and laughed. "You're still reading that thing? It hasn't fallen apart yet?"

Charlie looked down at the book, _The Princess Bride_, and smiled at the worn cover and pages. "It's my favorite. Westley and Buttercup and I have a good relationship." Charlie ushered them out of the house and locked the door behind her, then threw her bag in the truck. "I'll follow you guys." She said, and Happy and Kozik both got on their bikes and started them. Charlie backed out of the driveway and let them both out in front of her, but Kozik pulled to the side and let her pass so that he was following her. Charlie rolled down her window as she lit a cigarette and giggled to herself before muttering, "Oh look, it's a Charlie sandwich."

As Happy pulled up to the front gate and revved his engine, the gate was pulled back and the three of them pulled through. Charlie noticed that it wasn't just Sons at the gate – there were skinheads out front as well. Happy and Kozik parked their bikes in their usual places, and Charlie backed her truck in beside Gemma's Cadillac. She pulled her keys from the ignition, clipped them to the front pocket of her jeans, grabbed her duffel from the passenger seat, and slid out of the truck. She followed Kozik and Happy into the clubhouse, nodding a hello to one of the skinheads she recognized as Garrett, one of Tully's higher ups.

As Charlie walked into the clubhouse, she was assaulted with noise and chaos as she took in all of the families and close friends of the charter. She scanned the room for Kenny and Ellie, but she didn't see them. She immediately went up to Opie who was at the bar with Chibs and Jax, and said, "Where are my niece and nephew?"

Opie rolled his eyes and said, "They're in my dorm playing Monopoly with Luann."

Charlie nodded, then looked over at Chibs and smiled. "So, my chivalrous roommate, you're going to let me stay in your dorm, right?"

Chibs raised an eyebrow while Jax and Opie laughed. "An' what if I need ta sleep, lass? I'm the one protectin' everyone."

Charlie sighed and put her hand on Chibs' shoulder, then said very seriously, "It's a queen size bed Chibs – I swear I won't violate you in your sleep." Charlie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and then headed towards the hallway that led to the dorms. She paused and turned around halfway to look at him, then said, "Wait, should I boil the sheets in bleach first?"

Chibs, Jax, and Opie erupted into laughter, and Chibs gasped out, "Yeah, ye'll need to wash the sheets lass."

Charlie shuddered and turned to continue down the hallway. She opened the door to Chibs' dorm and dropped her duffel on the floor, then headed straight to the bed to strip the sheets. As she carried them down the hall to the laundry room, she passed Gemma, who gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"You doin' okay sweetie?" Gemma asked, eyeing the sheets in Charlie's arms.

Charlie smiled. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm taking over Chibs' dorm for the duration of the lockdown, and I do not sleep in cum covered sheets… Well, I'm not going to sleep in Chibs' cum covered sheets."

Gemma laughed and nodded. "I understand that. You just be careful tonight at work." Gemma started to walk past her, then paused. "And be careful with whoever you choose, Charlotte. You do what's best for you _and_ for the club, sweetie. We're all these boys have; don't forget that."

"Tully and I aren't-"

"I don't need details. I just need you to think things through." Gemma interrupted Charlie, then touched her shoulder gently and continued down the hall.

Charlie continued down the hall and into the laundry room, and started the sheets in the washing machine. She set a timer on her phone and then headed to Opie's dorm to spend some time with her niece and nephew.

* * *

T.O. escorted the final patron out of the bar around two-thirty, and Charlie knocked back a shot of Jack Daniels as he locked the door and turned to her.

"You doin' okay?" He asked through a smile.

Charlie let out a sigh and shrugged, then poured herself another shot and downed it. "It's a good thing that I'm apparently incapable of driving during a lockdown." She replied as she cleaned the glass and started wiping down the bar.

T.O. started putting the chairs on top of the tables upside down, and said, "It's not that, and you know it. If you're on the back of a bike, we can control things better."

"You mean you can control _me_ better."

T.O and Charlie locked eyes and Charlie scoffed, knowing she was right. She shook her head and finished cleaning up, then she emptied out the register and handed the money to T.O. Charlie followed him outside and waited as he locked up, and then climbed onto his motorcycle behind him. Charlie wrapped her arms around his waist and took a deep breath as they pulled out of the parking lot, smiling as he revved the engine and shot down the road. She enjoyed the ride back to Charming immensely, and was slightly sad when the gate to the clubhouse came into view. T.O. pulled in after the gate was opened, and he stopped beside the picnic tables. Charlie climbed off and squeezed his shoulder in thanks, and then he headed back out of the lot. Charlie nodded to some of the guys sitting outside – she recognized some as Sons from other charters and some as obvious skinheads. As she walked into the clubhouse, she saw Tig, Chibs, and Bobby sitting at the bar, and she headed towards them.

"Hey, Hurricane, how was work?" Tig asked as Charlie dug her cigarettes out of her pocket, lit one, and then climbed onto a stool beside the men.

Charlie shrugged and replied, "It was alright. I'm already done with the babysitting."

Bobby shook his head slightly and said, "Really? It hasn't been twenty-four hours."

Charlie stood up on the bars of the stool and reached around to grab a slice of pizza out of the box on the bar, then she took a bite. "I haven't threatened to shoot anyone yet." Charlie said with her mouth full.

"Well, yeah, we should be grateful fer tha'." Chibs said sarcastically, and Charlie grinned at him.

She took Chibs' beer from him and took a sip while they guys went back to their conversation about Bobby's latest upgrades to his motorcycle. Charlie finished her slice of pizza and Chibs' beer, then started on another of each.

Chibs winked at her and said, "So much for eatin' better an' exercisin', huh?"

Charlie glared at him and replied, "It's not like I can go for a run or eat the fresh vegetables and fruits that I bought and put in the house."

Chibs shrugged and went back to his conversation with Bobby and Tig. Charlie sat there with the guys for another few minutes, and then she stood up and stretched, yawning deeply.

"I'm going to bed." She said, finishing the second beer and setting it on the bar. She tapped Chibs' cheek gently. "If we're sharing a bed, I promise I won't violate you, okay? Otherwise, I hear the pool table is quite comfortable."

Chibs nodded and grinned. "If I wake up and ye have yer hand down my pants, I'm pressin' charges."

Charlie winked at him and said, "Yeah, well, I doubt that'd be the only thing you'd be pressing against me."

Tig choked on his beer and shot Charlie a wide-eyed look, and Charlie just smirked before heading down the hallway and into Chibs' dorm. She was so glad that she had put the sheets on the bed before she left for work, and Charlie went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take her makeup off. When she finished in the bathroom, she returned to the bedroom, put her Makarov on the bedside table, and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before turning off the light and falling into the bed.

* * *

"Jesus Christ, Chibs, do you know how to use fucking nail clippers?"

Charlie was groggy because she had been sleeping deeply when something sharp cut into the back of her legs. She opened her eyes slowly and rolled over to see Chibs in the bed beside her, still asleep. Charlie kicked him, probably harder than she should have, and his eyes popped open.

"Wha' the fuck?" He growled, shoving her roughly.

"You're scratching me with your fucking foot long toe nails."

Charlie's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she noticed that Chibs wasn't wearing a shirt and that the covers had moved off of him to show his boxers. "You're just wearing fucking boxers?"

Chibs beat his fist into his pillow and turned over to put his back to her. "Yer're not wearing a bra. We're even."

Charlie sighed and rolled over onto her stomach and fell back asleep.

* * *

The next time Charlie woke up, she was alone in the bed. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes, then slowly climbed out and headed towards the door. She shuffled down the hallway and stopped when she saw Tully, Chibs, Happy, and Juice all standing around the bar. They stopped talking when they saw her and she muttered, "Coffee." She turned into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, then leaned against the fridge and closed her eyes. She heard footsteps enter the kitchen and she felt a body near her, but she didn't open her eyes.

"You've got scratches on your legs, pet."

Charlie grunted.

"That's not usually the place for scratches."

Charlie didn't answer.

"Does the Scot have any scratches on him?"

Charlie opened one eye and looked at Tully, noticing the tightness in his jaw. "It's too fucking early for this, Tully." The coffee pot beeped and Charlie filled up a coffee cup, then stepped around Tully and headed back towards the hallway.

"Pet…" Tully said lowly in a warning, following her.

Charlie whirled around and said, "What, Tully? What? We aren't a couple. We haven't had sex with one another in years, and yet you think you own me. You know what, maybe I did fuck Chibs last night. Maybe I let him pound me into the mattress like the whore that everyone thinks I am. Maybe he hit all those spots that feel so good, and made me scream so loud that it set off fucking car alarms." Charlie was breathing hard by the time she finished her rant, and she noticed that none of the families were in the room. _Thank god for small favors._ Charlie flicked her eyes over to Happy, Chibs, and Juice, and all three of them practically had their mouths hanging open.

Tully had a look of surprise on his face, and before he could reply, Charlie continued. "I'm not your pet, Tully, not anymore. Your shit is between you and the club, but I'm not a member of the club, as people keep reminding me, so you and I are done. No contact, nothing. Fuck. Off."

Charlie turned on her heel, headed down the hallway, and walked into Chibs' dorm, slamming the door behind her. She took a few sips of her coffee then set it on the desk. She looked up at the alarm clock on the top of the dresser and saw that it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. Charlie took her coffee into the bathroom and started the shower before finding a clean towel and washcloth in the cabinet. She set the towel outside of the cubicle, then stripped and stepped into the shower with the washcloth, sighing as the hot water hit her head and body. Chibs didn't have Bulgari in his dorm shower, but at least he stocked generic shampoo and body wash so that she could function. She finished showering, turned the water off, and then wrapped herself in the towel before stepping back into the bedroom to see Happy sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette.

"That was quite a show." He said, turning his head to look at her.

Charlie shrugged and headed to get her duffel bag. "I'm done being pulled in a hundred different directions. It's what Opie and my dad wanted, and I'm okay with it. It shouldn't blow back on the club; Tully wants this connection."

She carried her duffel bag back into the bathroom, left the door cracked, and dried off before starting to dress.

"He was pissed when he left. Really pissed."

After she was dressed, Charlie started brushing her teeth and opened the door up all the way and looked at Happy. "He'll lick his wounds and be alright. Where's all the families?"

"We sent them home. Zobelle is dead, and we've got a tentative peace with the Mayans."

Charlie stepped to the sink and spit out a mouthful of toothpaste, then went back to the door to look at Happy. "What? How?"

Happy's eyes darkened and he stood up, lifting his shirt to show her a newly added smiley face on his stomach. "Zobelle is dead. We've placated the Mayans with the promise of a new gun deal, and we'll see how that goes."

Charlie bit the inside of her lip when she saw the well-toned muscles of his stomach, and was almost sad when he let go of his shirt and let it fall. Happy picked up a blow dryer from the bed and stepped towards her, handing it to her.

"Tara left this for you this morning. Thought you might want it. You can go home whenever you want." Happy turned and headed back towards the door, but he paused and said, "And you might want to buy a swimsuit. I've pretty much decided to buy the house with the pool." He continued out of the door and closed it behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

And guys, I know that you're reading the story and adding it to your favorites, but I don't get a lot of reviews, and that makes me sad.

Yes, I've been away, but hopefully, I'm back! And, hopefully, I'm back with a vengeance!

Chapter Twelve

Two weeks had passed and the truce between the Mayans and SAMCRO was holding, at least for now. Charlie hadn't heard from Tully since she had told him off in the clubhouse, but from what she had heard from Chibs, he was still allied with the club, so at least she wasn't the cause of the dissolution of an alliance. Charlie looked up from her position on the couch as the front door opened and Chibs came into the house.

"Gemma's havin' a family dinner tomorrow night at Happy's new place; celebratin' Happy's house an' tryin' ta get everyone together. Ye cannot skip it."

Charlie grunted and rolled over onto her stomach on the couch, burying her face into a pillow. She heard Chibs' kutte hit the recliner and his keys, gun, and wallet slide onto the kitchen table. Chibs walked over to the couch and patted Charlie on the shoulder, and she turned her head sideways to look up at him.

"Yer dad wants ta talk ta ye. Says yer're not answerin' yer phone."

Charlie didn't answer, so Chibs decided on another tactic. He turned around and sat on her, and Charlie groaned and tried to push him off.

"Get off me, you lard ass!" Charlie growled, but she let out a small laugh as Chibs just smiled down at her.

"Finally. She speaks." Chibs pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and lit one nonchalantly. "Ye 'ave ta go ta the dinner, lass. Gemma will 'ave all our asses, an' I like bein' alive." Chibs was quiet for a moment, and then he stood up. "Hap wants ye ta come. We all do."

Charlie turned over quickly and sat up, staring at Chibs. "Hap wants me to come? Like, he verbally said that?"

Chibs smirked and took a draw from his cigarette. "Not in so many words, but in his own way, yeah." Chibs stepped to the side table and flicked some ashes into an ashtray, then turned back to look at Charlie. "Hap can get ye ta come to family dinner, but I can't?"

Charlie stood up and patted Chibs on the shoulder. "You're my best friend Chibs. You don't have a whole lot of sway, honestly, because you're there no matter what."

Chibs laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, then started pulling her towards the kitchen.

"Well let's make something ta eat before ye leave me ta go ta work, best friend."

* * *

Charlie was in the shower the next day getting ready to go to the family dinner when she heard the bathroom door open and slam against the wall. Charlie jerked the shower curtain to the side and saw Happy standing there with his arms crossed.

"What the fuck, Happy? Occupado." Charlie yelled, wiping some shampoo away from her eyes and making sure that the curtain covered everything from the neck down.

"It's Gemma. She's at my house." Happy said shortly, and Charlie saw him clench his jaw. "She's… I've barely got any of my shit in there, and she's all over it, Hurricane."

Charlie let out a snort and Happy glared at her, taking a step forward. "Nuh-uh, big boy. You want my help, you better not piss me off." Charlie said, giving him a hard look.

"Hurry up. She's… Hurry." Happy said, and Charlie resisted the urge to laugh at the distraught look on his face.

She nodded and pulled her head back into the shower, pulling the curtain closed behind her. She went back to rinsing her hair, but she didn't hear Happy leave. "Happy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to stand there until I'm finished?"

Charlie heard feet shuffling and assumed that meant Happy had left. She peaked her head out just to double check, and Happy was gone, but he didn't close the door behind him. Charlie sighed and shook her head, then went back to her shower. A few minutes later, as she was stepping out of the shower, Charlie heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

"I'm hurrying, Happy. Chill the fuck out." Charlie yelled as she grabbed for a towel and tried to kick the door closed simultaneously.

"Not fast enough." Happy snarled as he stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. Charlie had gotten the towel wrapped around her by that time, and she huffed as she looked over at him.

"Privacy, Happy. Is it a foreign concept to you?" Charlie growled back at him as she pushed past him and down the hallway.

Happy followed behind her and replied, "You've all got the same parts."

Charlie spun around and glared at him, then grabbed the door to her bedroom. "Way to make a girl feel special, Hap. Especially from one you want help." Charlie slammed the door in his face and locked it.

Charlie heard Happy grunt, and she refrained from opening the door again whacking him on the head. Instead, she settled for sticking her tongue out at the door before drying herself with the towel and wrapping it around her. Charlie pulled a pair of jeans and a purple tank top out of the closet and threw them on the bed, then went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of socks, a bra and a pair of panties. She proceeded to get dressed, put on her socks and cowboy boots, then stuck her phone, keys, cigarettes, and wallet into her pocket. She checked that the safety was on her Makarov before sliding it into the back of the waistband of her jeans and pulling her tank top over it. Sighing, Charlie placed her sunglasses on top of her head, stepped to the door, unlocked it, and opened it; as she expected, Happy was leaned against the wall opposite her door with his arms crossed, and he did not look… well, happy.

"I'm ready, sunshine." Charlie said, shooting him an evil grin. Happy gave her a dark look and opened his mouth to respond, but she held up her hand to stop him. "Unh-huh, remember, you want my help."

Happy glared at her, but he didn't respond. Instead, he took off down the hallway at a brisk walk and Charlie followed behind him with a grin on her face. Happy walked straight through the living room to the front door, and Charlie stopped to talk to Chibs, who was laid out in the recliner watching the History channel.

"I'm going to head over to Hap's and see if I can help with his problem. When are you coming over?"

"Probably 'round six; that's when everyone else is supposed ta arrive too." Chibs replied, looking up at her and smiling. "That'll give ye and Hap about two hours ta fix the Gemma situation before I put meself in the mix."

Charlie rolled her eyes and said, "Wow, what big tough biker guys you two are. Scared of Gemma."

"Not even goin' ta say anythin' to that." Chibs said, returning to his documentary. "Have fun wit' everythin', brother. I'll see ye later."

"Right." Happy said in his usual gravelly voice. He turned towards Charlie and she put her hands up in surrender, then followed him outside, closing the front door behind her. Charlie pulled her keys out of her pocket and headed towards her truck, but Happy grunted at her and pointed towards his bike. Shrugging, Charlie changed course, putting her keys back in her pocket and climbing on behind him. Happy started the bike and headed down the driveway, turning left once he reached the bottom. He continued down the road for about three-quarters of a mile and turned right into the driveway of a brick ranch style house with a two car garage. Happy pulled past Gemma's Cadillac and into the left garage, and Charlie looked over to see a black Dodge truck parked there. Charlie climbed off the bike and waited for Happy, who then led her into the house through a door that led into a hallway. Charlie could hear the Gemma-esque clicking of her heels on the laminated kitchen floor, and Charlie suppressed a grin. She heard chatter, and as she and Happy entered the kitchen, Charlie saw that Gemma had recruited a few crow eaters to help her with the cooking.

"Charlotte!" Gemma said, shooting her a smile and stepping over to hug her tightly. "I wondered where Happy had went."

"Yeah, Happy thought that you could use some help." Charlie replied, sliding a look over at Happy, who was leaned against the fridge with his arms crossed.

Charlie looked around the kitchen and saw different foods in varying states of progress. As she surveyed the kitchen, she couldn't help but notice that it was very nice. The kitchen was large enough for the six of them to be comfortable in and there was ample counter space for food preparation. She looked over and saw an adjoining dining room with a large kitchen table that seated at least twelve. There was a vase of flowers on the table.

"So, Gemma, did Happy have all of this or did you bring it?"

"I had the boys bring over one of our old dining tables and an outdoor table and chairs as a housewarming gift, and I'm lending Happy our grill for a while, and I brought all of the kitchen supplies. We're going to do grilled barbeque chicken, broccoli casserole, salad, potato salad, garlic bread, corn, mashed potatoes… I think that's enough food, don't you?" Gemma said as she set to chopping carrots.

"Yeah, absolutely… How about Happy and I start the grill and get it heating up. I wouldn't want to ruin your rhythm." Charlie replied, snatching a piece of carrot and popping it into her mouth.

She giggled as Gemma swatted at her playfully. "Sure, sweetheart. That sounds like a good plan."

"Come on, Happy. Lead the way to the grill." Charlie said, grabbing his arm and pulling him from his stance against the fridge. Charlie ignored the glares from crow eaters and pushed Happy in front of her so that she could follow him to the correct door.

Happy walked into the dining room and then opened a door to his right, then stepped outside and Charlie followed. She had to stop the gasp that almost escaped from her. It was a beautiful, large backyard with a large deck, a walkway that led the huge in-ground pool with a diving board, and there was a spacious amount of green backyard to complement the pool.

"Damn, Happy, this is a fucking dream backyard." Charlie said as she walked across the deck. She was about to head down the stairs when Happy grabbed her arm and spun her around to look at him.

"This wasn't the solution I had in mind." He said quietly.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "What, Hap, you think I'm going to tell Gemma to stop cooking and go home? To leave you in peace? To stop putting flowers in your house?"

Happy growled and clenched his jaw, but Charlie shrugged. "Come on, Hap. It's just one night; we'll stay out here, grill the chicken, and drink beer. We'll have a nice, yummy dinner, and then you can get your dick sucked by a crow eater to round out the night."

Charlie slapped him on his back and looked around the deck before spotting the grill with a bag of charcoal and a bottle of lighter fluid beside it. She walked over and opened the grill cover, then grabbed the charcoal bag and ripped the top open. Looking back over at Happy, she saw him staring at her with his hands in his pockets.

"Happy. We can't get drunk without beer, and I know that was the first thing that you brought into this house. Go grab us two." Charlie said, then she turned back to the grill and poured charcoal into it. She didn't hear Happy moving, and she sighed as she looked back to see him unmoved. "Look, Hap, you should've known this was going to happen. We're all glad that you've bought a house, and Gemma does family dinners all the time. You don't have to be nice or even personable, but you do have to endure it, just like me."

Charlie turned back to the grill and realized that she didn't have a long handled grill lighter. She was about to ask Happy to bring her one, but she heard him move and didn't want to distract him from finally doing what she asked. She heard the door open and close, and gave herself a mental high-five. She squirted some lighter fluid on the charcoal and stepped over to the railing of the deck, leaning against it to survey the backyard again. _It really is a beautiful place,_ she thought to herself. _Dammit, am I jealous of Happy?_ She heard the door open and close again, and the clunk of Happy's boots made her turn around. He was carrying two bottles of beer and a grill lighter.

"You're a freaking mind reader, Happy." Charlie said, smiling as he handed her a bottle and stepped over to the grill and lit it, then closed the lid to keep the heat in.

Charlie twisted the top off her beer, pulled her cigarettes from her pocket, and lit one, inhaling deeply. Happy stepped up beside her and leaned against the railing, sipping on his own beer.

"It's a nice place, Hap. You did a good job picking it out."

Happy nodded and said, "You haven't seen the rest of it. Two bedroom, two full bath, nice living room."

Charlie took a sip of her beer. "Yeah; it's a little big for just you, though, isn't it? Huge pool and backyard, two bedrooms…"

Happy scoffed. "I got this place because it was the only one with a pool. You're the one that wanted a pool, Hurricane." Happy pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, then looked over at her. Charlie had a shocked look on her face. "What, you think I just ignored you?"

"Well, yeah." Charlie said after a moment of silence. "I mean, access to a pool would be awesome but I didn't mean to influence you that much."

Happy shrugged his shoulders and took a drag off his cigarette. After that, he was silent for the rest of the afternoon. He had probably reached his word quota for the day. They worked together in silence as they grilled the barbeque chicken and then the corn. People started to arrive around six, and soon they weren't alone on the deck of the house. Charlie was watching Opie's kids play in the backyard and chatting with Tara when they heard a motorcycle come down the street. Happy's eyes slid to Charlie as she took count of who all was here that rode motorcycles, and watched as it dawned on her that her father was the only one missing. Happy watched as Charlie put her cigarette out, excused herself from the conversation with Tara, and went inside the house.

Happy wasn't the only one to notice Charlie's exit. Chibs stepped up to the grill and said, "I'll watch this."

Happy paused for moment before following Charlie into the house and down the hallway. She had almost gotten the door to the bathroom closed before he pushed his way in and shut and locked the door behind him.

"What the fuck, Happy? What is it with you and being unable to let me be in a bathroom alone today?" Charlie growled as she put her hands on the sink counter and stared at herself.

"Your dad just pulled up."

Charlie flicked her eyes up to look at him in the mirror and then went back to staring at her reflection. "I know that." Charlie took a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling. She heard Happy shift and then felt him move up beside her.

"He's just your dad. So what if he called you a whore. He'll have to respect your choices eventually." Happy said.

Charlie kept her eyes close and responded. "I can sneak out and walk home. There's left over lasagna."

Happy placed his hand on top of her left one, and her eyes popped open. "Family gathering, remember? If I have to be here, you do."

Charlie rolled her eyes and said, "That is so not fair, using my own words against me." Happy shrugged and gave her his equivalent of a half-smile. "Ugh, fine, let's go get this over with."

Charlie pulled her hand out from under his with a little bit of regret and turned to unlock the door. She felt Happy grab her shoulder and he spun her around, pushing her against the door. Happy's lips were on hers before she knew what was happening, and Charlie, with her dry streak, couldn't help herself. Her fingers curled into his kutte and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Happy's hands settled in her hair, pushing her against the door with his body, and her head hit the door hard.

"Fuck." Charlie broke the kiss, breathing hard, and she wasn't sure whether her vision was blurry because of the kiss or the hit her head took.

Happy gave her an evil grin and said, "I thought that you liked it rough."

Charlie glared at him and pushed against him, but he deepened his hold in her hair, pulling it hard and eliciting a moan from Charlie. Happy's grin grew as he looked at her and decided to see how far he could push her. Happy kept one of his hands in her hair while the other slid down to her neck and applied some pressure before kissing her again, hard. Charlie melted into him, pulling him closer by his kutte before releasing it, reaching for the bottom of his shirt, and dragging her fingers along the waistband of his jeans. Happy moved his hands to her ass and lifted her, turning around and setting her on the counter without breaking the kiss. Charlie pushed Happy's kutte off his shoulders and gripped the bottom of his shirt, lifting it off him and breaking the kiss. Happy tossed the shirt behind him and pulled Charlie's tank top over her head. Charlie ran her fingernails down his chest and wrapped her legs around Happy's waist. Happy kissed her hard and then moved down her neck to her breasts, pulling one out and sucking on her nipple, biting it gently.

"Jesus, Happy!" Charlie moaned, rocking her hips against his and digging her nails into his back.

Happy moaned and moved to the opposite breast, giving it the same treatment as his hands began to work on the button of her jeans. He had them unbuttoned and unzipped, and was about to lift her off the counter to remove her jeans when there was a knock on the door.

"Charlie? Are you in there?" Tara asked.

Charlie groaned and slammed her hand onto the counter.

"Yeah, what's up?" Charlie panted as Happy moved back to kissing her neck.

"We're almost ready to eat. Have you seen Happy?"

Happy flicked Charlie's nipple with his finger and she moaned, rocking against him. "I, uh, I think he might've went to the garage. I'll be right out."

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy's in there with you, isn't he?"

Happy growled and pulled away from her, an angry look on his face. "Fucking hell people, it's my goddamn house."

Charlie groaned and unwrapped her legs from around Happy's waist. Happy stepped back from her and picked up his kutte and their shirts from the floor, handing Charlie's to her.

"We'll be right out, Tara." Charlie said as she pushed her breasts back into her bra and pulled her tank top over her head. She slid down from the counter and zipped and buttoned her pants. She turned around and flattened her hair in the mirror before turning back to Happy and saying, "Okay, then. Let's go have family dinner."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

I went back in and added an outdoor table set as one of the housewarming gifts that Gemma brought in chapter twelve. I wasn't thinking ahead.

Chapter Thirteen

Charlie opened the door and found Tara standing there holding Abel, and Jax was standing beside her with a smirk on his face.

"Really, Charlie? At family dinner?" Jax asked with laughter in his voice.

Charlie scoffed and replied, "Yeah, and I'm sure that you and Tara were just hanging out together in the bathroom at the pizza place during my eleventh birthday."

Tara's cheeks went red at the memory and she headed down the hallway towards the dining room without a comment. Jax just shook his head, grinning at Happy as he exited the bathroom behind Charlie. Jax followed after Tara, and Happy pushed on Charlie's lower back to get her to walk down the hallway.

"I'm going, geez, chill out." Charlie turned around and glared at Happy, who gave her a blank look and he continued to nudge her down the hallway. They emerged into the dining room where everyone was sitting down and chatting, and no one paid much attention to their entrance. Charlie surveyed the room quickly, avoiding eye contact with her father, and after counting the people and the chairs, she realized that there wasn't enough room for everyone.

"I have an idea." Charlie said as she went over to the fridge and grabbed a beer from it. "I'm going to eat outside, maybe put my feet in the water, enjoy the nice evening. Anyone want to join me?"

"Sounds like a great idea, lass." Chibs said as he filled his plate with food. "I'll get ye a plate if ye get me a beer."

"Sounds like a deal." Charlie turned back to the fridge and pulled another bottle out, then headed outside quickly and sat down at the table. Chibs came and sat down beside her a few minutes later, as did Happy, Juice, and Bobby. They ate their dinner and made light conversation, mainly about one of Bobby's upcoming Elvis gigs. After they finished, they all walked down to the pool and stood around, talking and drinking beer.

"So the truce with the Mayans," Charlie said as she took a sip of her beer. "What's that looking like?"

There was a look exchanged between the men, and no one said anything immediately. Charlie rolled her eyes and bent down to start pulling off her boots and socks. "Guys, I'm going to find out from you or someone else; just tell me. It's not like I have friends outside of the club to talk to."

"Pretty cozy with Tully and Hale." Happy said, flicking his eyes over at her before returning his gaze to the pool and taking a sip of his beer.

Charlie gritted her teeth glared at him coldly. She was confused. He was hot and heavy for her not an hour ago, and now he was bringing up Tully and Hale; she couldn't see the reasoning behind his tactics. The rest of the men watched her reaction, but their understanding was limited to the belief that the two were on fairly good terms with one another.

"Not like you could get information from your dad, either."

Charlie clenched her hands into fists and popped her neck as she attempted to restrain herself from lunging at Happy and strangling him to death.

"Well, Hap, what got your panties in a twist?" Charlie responded, cocking her head to the side. "Blue balls that rough on you?"

Bobby, Chibs, and Juice looked from Charlie to Happy and back again to the young woman; it was clear that Charlie wasn't going to lay down and take his criticism tonight.

"Why would Happy have blue balls? None of the crow eaters…" Juice trailed off at the hard look that Chibs gave him, and he shut his mouth.

Charlie stuffed her socks into her boots and began rolling her pant legs up. She then sat down on the edge of the pool and stuck her feet in the water, leaning back on her hands and closing her eyes, turning her face towards the setting sun.

"Hap?" Charlie asked nonchalantly as she splashed her feet lightly in the water. "Why are you being a little cunt for no reason?"

Juice choked on the beer he was drinking and Chibs whacked him hard on the back. Bobby laughed outright before covering it with a cough when he received a dark look from Happy. With a growl, Happy stomped over to her, grabbed her underneath her arms, and hoisted her to her feet.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Charlie." He whispered into her ear.

Charlie shivered and was about to respond, but before she could, Happy gave her a shove and she fell face first into the pool. Charlie's head popped out of the water and she angrily wiped water from her eyes.

"You son of a bitch! I had my phone and my gun on me!" Charlie yelled as she dug her phone out of her pocket and threw it at him. Happy ducked and it soared over his head and into the grass. She had felt the Makarov dislodge itself as she fell into the water, and she looked around until she found it on the bottom of the pool. Charlie dove down and grabbed it, pulling it from the water and placing it on the side of the pool beside Happy's feet. He squatted down with a smirk on his face, taking his hand and pushing some of her hair out of her eyes.

"The next time you call me a little cunt, I'll drown you." He whispered, and Charlie swallowed hard. He had a smirk on his face, but his eyes were hard. She believed him. Happy moved his hand down to her lip and swiped his thumb across it before standing up abruptly, turning around, and heading towards the deck. Bobby, Juice, and Chibs all three watched him climb the steps onto the deck and enter the house, and then they turned their gaze to Charlie.

"What the fuck was that?" Bobby asked incredulously.

Charlie sighed and then heaved herself onto the side of the pool, then stood up. "It's complicated."

Charlie was standing on the deck smoking a cigarette in dry clothes later that evening. Chibs had run Tara up to the house to pick out some dry clothes for Charlie since everyone refused to let her on their bikes or in their cars soaking wet. Most of the guests were standing or sitting outside enjoying the beautiful evening and relaxing; the club, and by extension their family members, had had a rough few months, and a nice evening with nothing to worry about was much needed for everyone.

"Charlotte."

Charlie closed her eyes at the sound of her fathers' voice. She took a long draw off her cigarette and was very sad that it wasn't a joint.

"Charlotte, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah." Charlie said, exhaling slowly. "As long as the word 'whore' isn't a part of the conversation."

Charlie looked over at her dad and immediately regretted her words. She saw the look of hurt on his face and instantly felt guilty for berating her father when he obviously felt bad about what he had said a few weeks earlier.

"Charlotte, I am sorry for saying that. I… you know that I just want what's best for you." Piney said quietly as he took a deep breath from his oxygen tube.

Charlie nodded and said, "I know. But you can't dictate my life." With a deep breath, she stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "I'm an adult. And it's not like the club treats women any better than Tully treated me."

Piney grunted and Charlie saw that he had his teeth clenched. "Dad, I'm done with Tully; I promise. But you can't hold this against me, and you can't dictate my life. I'm sorry, but I'm not your little girl anymore."

Piney smiled ruefully and said, "You'll always be my little girl." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her on the top of her head.

"Hey!" Chibs yelled, stumbling slightly as he walked over to them and put his arm around Charlie on her other side. "Glad ye both worked it out. Family love." Chibs squeezed her shoulder and Charlie wrinkled her nose, looking over at him.

"You have beer leaking out of your pores, do you know that? How far in are you?" She asked with a smirk.

"We stopped counting after 30, Charlie!" Bobby yelled from the other side of the deck.

"Jesus. Bottles?" Charlie raised her eyebrows at Bobby as Chibs leaned onto her and downed the last of the bottle in his hand, burping loudly.

"Yep." Juice said, nodding his head with a grin.

"Fucking Christ, that's like ten tall boys… Pop, help me get him to one of the chairs. I'm not carrying his ass home, and he'd kill me if I drove his motorcycle." Charlie said as she motioned for Piney to grab his other arm. Together, they walked Chibs over to one of the chairs by the outdoor table and sat him down. Chibs immediately engaged in a drunken conversation with Juice and Bobby. Piney and Charlie went in the house to see if Gemma needed any help, and found the place spotless.

"Wow, Gemma, you did a great job with dinner. It was fantastic." Charlie said, walking over to Gemma, who was standing in the kitchen area. Charlie wrapped her arm around Gemma's waist and laid her head on her shoulder, and Gemma wrapped her arm around Charlie's shoulder.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Gemma said, looking over at Piney. "You two work everything out?"

Piney cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna head out to the cabin, actually. You need me, you know where to find me." Piney stepped over and kissed Charlie on the forehead and she squeezed his hand with her free hand. "Love you, kid."

"You too, pop." Charlie replied.

Piney left and Charlie detached herself from Gemma. "I'm going to see if I can hydrate Chibs a little before we attempt to go home." Charlie pulled a red solo cup out of the stack, put some ice in it, and filled it with water from the sink.

"Chibs is a grown man. They sleep on the floor and the bar at the clubhouse. If he ends up sleeping on the deck, then that's how it is." Gemma said, grinning at her.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm mothering him; he mothered me when I downed a whole bottle of Jack." Charlie shrugged and stepped back outside onto the deck. She walked over to the table and found Chibs with another bottle of beer in his hand. "Seriously?" She said, glaring at Juice and Bobby.

"He's a grown man." Happy said as he walked up, and Charlie sent him a glare.

"Yeah, but I have to listen to him piss and moan tomorrow when he has a hangover." Charlie said as she snatched the bottle out of his hand and replaced it with the cup of water.

Chibs growled at her and sighed. "Lass, this is nothing. Let me drink."

"Boohoo, Chibby. I'll see if there's still a crow eater around to make you feel better." Charlie said, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of the beer. She looked pointedly at Juice and Bobby. "Don't give him any more beer, understood?"

"Yes, mother." Bobby and Juice said mockingly.

Charlie turned around and walked away, searching through the people for one of the crow eaters from before. The crowd was starting to thin as people began to leave and head home, and Charlie wasn't having much luck finding a crow eater for Chibs. Charlie went inside and looked through the living room, then walked down the hallway and looked in the bathroom, but she didn't find any of the girls. Charlie turned around to head back down the hallway and shrieked when she saw Happy standing right behind her.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Happy!" Charlie shouted, punching him in the shoulder. "What are you, half cat?"

Happy didn't say anything, but walked forward so that she was forced to walk backwards down the hall. He guided her into a bedroom to the left and shut and locked the door behind him.

"Don't start with me, Happy. I don't want to hear it." Charlie said, rolling her shoulders and then crossing her arms. "I have to get Chibs home before he starts puking."

Happy stepped towards her, but Charlie put up her hand. "Nuh-uh. I told you, don't start with me. You brought up Tully, David, and my dad just to be a dick, so you don't get to try and get in my pants again. Honestly, right now, I'd be more inclined to punch you in the throat."

A corner of Happy's mouth lifted in a half-smile. "That's kind of hot."

Charlie groaned in frustration and stomped her foot. "Are you bi-polar? Is that it?" Charlie pushed past him and grabbed the doorknob, but Happy grabbed her arm and pulled her back around to face him.

"I want to have sex with you." Happy said bluntly.

Charlie let out a bark of laughter and shook her head. "You have a fucking awful way of showing it, Happy. Pissing me off is not the best way to get me in bed with you." As an afterthought, Charlie added, "As much as I love angry sex."

"So get angry again." Happy said, shrugging as he grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her to him.

Charlie pushed against him and wriggled out of his grasp. "Sorry; I have a child to get home and put to bed. Maybe you'll piss me off tomorrow." Charlie patted his cheek, smirked, then unlocked and opened the door, disappearing down the hallway.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Charlie woke up to someone ringing the doorbell constantly. With a growl, she rolled out of bed, jerked open her bedroom door, and stomped down the hallway.

She heard a thump come from the back of the house and yelled, "Go back to bed, Chibs! I got it." She heard another thump and a moan, and she let out a little giggle before putting the scowl back on her face to open the door. Charlie unlocked the deadbolt, undid the security chain, and then opened the door with a growled, "What?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but we need to talk." Gemma pushed her way into the house and sat herself down at the kitchen table, lighting a cigarette.

"Come on in." Charlie mumbled as she closed and locked the door. She secured the chain before turning around and heading to the coffee pot. "So what's this about?"

"That ATF gash has been threatening the women that are connected with the club. Donna, Tara, and I know that she spoke with you in the grocery store." Charlie shot a glance in Gemma's direction, and the woman shrugged. "Juice mentioned it."

Charlie rolled her eyes and pulled down two mugs as the coffee began to brew. "Gemma, you know as well as I do that I would never to the club in jeopardy. Especially after everything with Tully, and –"

Gemma held up her hand. "I – I'm not worried about that, sweetheart. What I'm worried about is the bitch going after your job at the school. It's almost time for you to start work there, and between your involvement with Tully and being an associate of the Sons, who knows what this bitch could dig up."

Charlie shrugged her shoulder, poured two cups of coffee, and took them over to the table. She returned to the kitchen for milk and sugar, then sat down and began preparing her cup while Gemma put some sugar in her cup.

"If I lose my job, I lose my job. I've still got steady work at the bar, and I've got a pretty good nest egg if I need to find something else."

Gemma smirked and shook her head slightly. "That's not really what I'm worried about either. I'm worried about you losing your temper. This ATF bitch… there are a lot of reasons that you'd have to lose your temper with her, and we cannot handle you going to jail for assaulting a fed." As an afterthought, she added, "Or murdering one."

Charlie stared into her coffee, swirling the cup in her hand. "You know I want to put a bullet in between her eyes."

"I do, but I –"

"You also know that I want to put one in Clay and Tig, too." Charlie looked up and locked eyes with Gemma, who met her gaze with ferocity.

"And you know that only one of those three are likely to die."

Charlie went back to staring into her coffee and sighed. "That's not what you wanted to discuss, so let's just leave that for another time. I got your point about the fed; keep my cool." Charlie stood up and carried her coffee cup to the sink, pouring it out before turning back to Gemma, who put out her cigarette and stood up. "Anything else?"

"No, that's all." Gemma said, and she made her way to the front door. She unlocked it, undid the security chain, and opened the door before pausing and turning back to look at Charlie, who had followed her to the door. "Just… be careful, sweetheart. With everything. Love you."

Charlie nodded, and forced a smile. "Love you too."

Charlie closed and locked the door behind Gemma, and when she turned around, she found Chibs propped up against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale, but the look he gave her was fierce.

"Shit." Charlie grunted, rolling her eyes. "You look like motherfucking hell, dude."

"Aye." Chibs growled, nodding. "Ye wanna tell me about tha conversation ye and Gemma jus' had?"

"There's coffee in the kitchen." Charlie said as she walked past him. Chibs held out his hand, grabbing her shoulder and stopping her. Charlie sighed and looked over at him. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." Chibs said, staring her down.

"Yeah, well, you keep secrets about club business, and I keep secrets about my business. You'll know when it's time." Charlie said with sincerity.

Chibs grunted and they both headed towards the kitchen.

"So ye fucked Happy in the bathroom last night, did ye?"

After Charlie nursed Chibs through his hangover and sent him to the garage, she showered and got dressed to run some errands. She was tucking her Makarov in the back of her jeans when she heard knocking on the front door again.

"When did this place turn into a fucking train station?" She growled as she stomped to the front door, undid the locks and security chain, then yanked the door open. "Oh, Jesus Christ."

Tully was standing in the doorway, leant against the doorjamb with a smirk on his face. "Hey, pet. Did you miss me?" He pushed past her and sat down on the couch, patting the spot beside him.

"When did people stop asking if it's okay to come inside?" Charlie growled, slamming the door shut and walking over to stand in front of Tully with her arms crossed. "What do you want?"

"You didn't think that I was going to give you up that easily, did you, pet?" Tully asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, actually, I did. It's been over two weeks; haven't you found someone else to play with?"

"I've had plenty of options. But you, pet…" Tully shook his head once and clenched his jaw. "You're something else."

Charlie scoffed and rolled her eyes, shifting on her feet. "Don't give me that bullshit 'you're special' crap, Tully. You just like being in control, and I'm convenient. It's like I told you the other week, though; I'm done."

Tully was on his feet and had Charlie by the throat before she could blink. The pressure that he was applying was not endearing in the least bit, and he had a look in his eyes that Charlie had only seen a couple of times, usually after he'd done a job for the Brotherhood. With his other hand, he reached around behind her back, grabbed her Makarov, and threw it onto the couch.

"I don't care that you're done, pet. I don't care if you're fucking the Scot or the hit man. You're mine; you've always been mine, and you'll always be mine." Tully squeezed harder and black spots started to mar Charlie's vision. She grabbed at his hand with one hand and gouged at his face with the other, but her strength was waning fast. And as quickly as Tully had ahold of Charlie's neck, he let her go. She stumbled back into the recliner and sat down, coughing and gasping for air. Tully stepped up in front of her and grabbed the hair on back of her head, jerking it so that she was looking up at him.

"Don't you ever forget who you belong to." Tully growled, and then he released her head.

Charlie had her breathing almost under control and as blood and oxygen began to reenter her brain, she started to get angry. She clenched her fists, bowed her head, and launched her body upwards so that the top of her head slammed into Tully's face. She had force and the element of surprise on her side, but it still hurt like a bitch.

"You bitch!" Tully yelled as blood sprayed out of his nose and he staggered backwards a few steps.

Charlie scrambled over to the couch and grabbed her Makarov, turning off the safety and chambering a round. She stood up and pointed the gun at Tully, who was blinking his vision clear.

"Get out, Tully. Now." Charlie said, and her voice was surprisingly steady.

"I'm going to-" Tully growled, stepping towards her, but he stopped when Charlie aimed and fired a round off to the side of his head.

"The only thing you're going to do, is leave." Charlie said as she settled her aim on his head. "Or I'm going to make the Brotherhood need a new shot caller in northern California."

Tully wiped away some of the blood that was sliding down his face as he walked towards the front door and jerked it open. "You'll regret this." He said quietly, and then he walked down the front steps and to his Mustang. Charlie rushed to the door and closed it, locking and securing the security chain before heading to the house phone and picking it up.

She dialed the number to the garage and Half-Sack answered. "Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair."

"Half-Sack, it's Charlie. I need my brother. And Jax." Her voice started to shake. "You know what, you should probably just send everyone. I think I might have fucked us all over."

Charlie paced back and forth in the living room as she waited for the club to show up. She was lighting a new cigarette off of an old one when she heard the roar of multiple motorcycles coming down the road. She stepped to the front door and unlocked everything before opening the door and stepping outside. Opie was the first one off his bike and heading towards her.

"Are you hurt? What's wrong?" He demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her up and down. His eyes focused on her neck, which was red with Tully's handprints. "Your neck."

"Tully stopped by…" Charlie began, and she scanned the faces of Bobby, Jax, Chibs, and Happy before focusing on her boots. "He was… uh, confused about my sincerity the other week. He choked me and tried to stake his claim, I broke his nose and threatened to kill him."

There was silence, and Charlie added, "Oh, Chibs… there's a bullet in your wall by the front window. I had to show Tully that I was serious."

"Stake his claim?" Jax said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And I had to show him that I really wasn't interested." Charlie said nonchalantly.

"By shooting at him and breaking his nose?" Jax repeated.

"Yes. Look, I thought you should know because this could affect the club." Charlie paused for a minute and bit her lip slightly. "And, uh, I think that Chibs should take the rest of the day off. You know, he's sick… and stuff."

Charlie turned on her heel and headed back inside the house, leaving the door open behind her. She couldn't openly admit to them that she was scared that Tully would come back, but she knew that they got the message that she didn't want to be alone until they figured out what to do with him and the Brotherhood. She went to the kitchen and pulled out a beer even though it was barely noon, and she was taking a long sip when she heard the front door close.

"History channel, Chibs?" Charlie asked as she rounded the corner into the living room. She stopped short at who was sprawled out on the couch with the remote in his hand.

"I don't like the history channel. I watch cartoons." Happy said, glancing over at her.

Charlie rolled her eyes and said, "Of course you do."


End file.
